Star Wars: Galactic Civil War season 2
by Bendatron
Summary: As the battle between the Empire and the Alliance grows; Luke, Ahsoka, and the gang find themselves pitted against mysterious and lethal foes unlike ever before. From Dark Jedi to crime lords to even more sinister plots by the Dark Lord himself, things are far from ending soon. Meanwhile, ancient Sith forces emerge from the shadows and threaten the very fate of the Force itself.
1. Money is Everything

**Author's note #1** : Welcome back; this is the start of season 2, I hope you all enjoy.

 **Author's note #2** : I recently got a PS4 and downloaded _Star Wars: Bounty Hunter_ and have been playing through it.

 _In memory of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds_

 _A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…_

 **Money is Everything**

 _Corruption in the galactic economy! Bothan spies have detected Imperial transmissions originating from the planet Muunilinst; with the InterGalactic Banking Clan's involvement with the Separatists, suspicions have arisen that they becoming involved with the Empire despite claiming neutrality in the war._

 _Since control of the economy could turn the tide of the war, Chief-of-State Mon Mothma plans to send Princess Leia Organa to investigate this mystery. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano have spent the last week on the planet Shili, but time has finally come for them to return…_

 _1 ABY, Shili_

"Hey Skyguy, mind if I join you?" said Ahsoka. Luke was lying on the grass near a stream underneath a large tree.

"Huh; oh, sure" said Luke. Ahsoka sat down and lay next to him.

"You've been out here for a long time" said Ahsoka "Aren't you worried about getting sunburned or something?"

"I grew up on a desert planet that had two suns; trust me, I'm used to it" said Luke. Ahsoka smiled at the sound of that.

"You know; you couldn't have picked a better holiday destination" said Ahsoka "It's been nice getting to know my family better and just get to unwind for a change. I know 3PO certainly enjoys that aspect"

"You know him; he gets flustered by almost anything" smirked Luke. Ahsoka chuckled and turned towards Luke. It was then that the two were caught in each other's blue eyes. Ahsoka slowly moved her hands onto his chest where she could feel his heartrate increasing. The two slowly moved closer to each other.

"Master Luke, you and Miss Ahsoka are requested to return to the village" said C-3PO who just entered "Miss Ahsoka's parents wish to say goodbye to us"

"Uh…thanks, 3PO" said Luke whilst getting himself up. Ahsoka sighed.

"Yeah…thanks" said Ahsoka whilst getting herself up. The three of them walked back to her parents' village, which was further down the stream and just outside the forest. Walking through the bustling village filled with Togrutas, welpuks, and nerfs, they reached Ahsoka's parents' hut near the center of the village. R2 sat out the front and beeped happily at their arrival. Mathren and Arlas walked out of the hut with Ahsoka walking up to them and giving them a hug. "Mom, dad, I just want you to know that we've really enjoyed our stay. Thanks a lot for having us"

"It was our pleasure, Ahsoka" said Mathren.

"We'd love to stay a little longer, but the Alliance still needs us" said Ahsoka.

"We understand entirely" said Arlas "I only wish you'd get to meet your brother and sister, but they're off on relief missions across the planet"

"What the Empire did to us cost us dearly, and we're still recovering from it" said Mathren.

"I'd love to meet them someday" said Ahsoka "After all; I doubt many people have a little brother and sister who's older than them" Arlas reached into a satchel she held around herself and got out a white and red necklace.

"We made this for you" said Arlas whilst handing it to Ahsoka "No matter where you are, you will always carry something from home with you"

"It's amazing" said Ahsoka "Thanks for everything" She gave the two of them a big hug. "I'll come back again, I promise"

 _A few minutes later_

Luke entered the _Rogue Shadow_.

"Hello master" said PROXY "Come back for some training? It's been about a week since you last trained"

"Not right now, PROXY" said Luke "But I'll promise to do some eventually" He walked into the lounge room and walked up to a shelf. On the shelf lay the mysterious mask he had found during the Battle of Shili. He picked it up to have a look at it further. However; as he made eye contact with visor, something strange happened. For a split second, he saw a mysterious figure wearing the exact same mask. The figure was hooded and cloaked with signs of armor and had a red lightsaber drawn. The sight came as such a surprise that Luke dropped the mask. But the strangest part came afterwards; as he slowly reached down to pick up the mask again, he heard the chilling yet wise voice of an old woman:

" _It is such a quiet thing to fall. But far more terrible to admit it"_

"Luke?" said a voice. Luke turned his head around to see Ahsoka standing in the doorway. "What's going on?" It didn't take long for her to see what he was holding in his hands. "What are you doing with that?"

"Nothing" said Luke "Just having a look at it"

"I thought you handed that over to the Jedi" said Ahsoka.

"It's not causing any problems" said Luke.

"Are you so sure of that?" said Ahsoka "Because I saw you drop it then, and it looked serious. What did you see?"

"Nothing" said Luke.

"Luke, tell me" said Ahsoka. Luke heaved a sigh; he knew all too well that Ahsoka would not give up so easily.

"It was…someone wearing this mask" said Luke "He wore a hood. And he had a lightsaber"

"What color was it?" asked Ahsoka.

"It was…it was red" replied Luke. Ahsoka was horrified by this. She grabbed the mask and placed it back on the shelf.

"Why are you keeping this here; for all we know, it could be a Sith artefact" said Ahsoka.

"I don't think it's dangerous" said Luke "I mean; it doesn't feel dangerous"

"Doesn't feel dangerous!" said Ahsoka "Are you sure it's not seducing you?"

"Seducing me; no, of course not" replied Luke.

"You're not touching it again" said Ahsoka "Please, Luke; I'm worried about you" Luke sighed again.

"Alright" said Luke. He grabbed the mask, opened up a compartment underneath the couch, and placed it in there. "We'll keep it hidden and never speak of it again"

"Thanks" said Ahsoka "Now let's get going"

 _Meanwhile on Corellia_

Leia entered Mon Mothma's office.

"You called for me, Mon Mothma" said Leia.

"I did" said Mon Mothma "Please, take a seat" Leia walked over to her desk and sat at a seat in front of it. Her eyes were soon drawn to who was standing next to Mon Mothma. He was a Human man with tan skin and short brown hair which was cleanly groomed. He wore a dark blue coat and had brown eyes.

"Excuse me; I don't believe we've met" said Leia.

"I believe we haven't either" said the man. He extended out his hand. "Lei Sarke; I'm Mon Mothma's new aide"

"A pleasure to meet you" said Leia whilst shaking his hand.

"You must be Leia Organa" said Sarke "I am sorry for what happened to Alderaan. From what I've heard of him, your father was a good man"

"He was" said Leia "So what is it you wanted to speak to me about?"

"We have a mission for you" said Mon Mothma "The Bothan spynet has picked up Imperial transmissions coming from the city of Harnaidan on the planet Muunilinst, the capital of the Banking Clan. We suspect that an alliance between them and the Empire may be forming"

"That's not possible" said Leia "The Banking Clan swore neutrality at the start of the war"

"How are we supposed to be certain about that?" said a Bothan who was sitting next to her "The Banking Clan collaborated with the Separatists during the Clone Wars, which means that they're not above taking sides. They already print the Empire's economy; why not start aiding them and bring themselves back to their former glory?"

"We should not jump to conclusions" said Rahm Kota's hologram "The Banking Clan may not officially be our allies, but we should not see them as enemies either. Besides; if they really did hold spit over what happened to them at the endo of the war, they would've joined the Separatist holdouts"

"We are sending you there to investigate" said Mon Mothma "We were able to pull some strings and scheduled a meeting with you and the Banking Clan's council. You leave in about an hour" It was then that her Bothan aide entered.

"Princess Leia, I have received word that Commander Skywalker is on his way" said the Bothan aide.

 _Meanwhile_

The _Rogue Shadow_ went through hyperspace before pulling out at Corellia. They flew down to a landing platform in Coronet City and landed. Luke, Ahsoka, R2, and C-3PO exited the ship and were greeted by Princess Leia.

"It's so good to see you again, Luke" said Leia whilst approaching him "I hope you're well rested" She gave him a small kiss on the cheek; the very sight of which made Ahsoka clench her fists subtlety. "And it's great to see you too, Ahsoka"

"Yeah…likewise" said Ahsoka. Leia felt a little upset at the sound of that.

"And you too, 3PO" said Leia.

"Oh; thank you, princess" said C-3PO. R2 beeped.

"And of course you as well, R2" said Leia with a smile and petting R2 on the head. The Bothan who sat next to Leia stepped forward.

"So you're the renowned Luke Skywalker" said the Bothan "I am Borsk Fey'lya, head of the Bothan spynet"

"A pleasure to meet you" said Luke.

"Admiral Ackbar heard about your arrival and apparently wishes to speak with you" said Fey'lya "His hologram is waiting for you in Mon Mothma's office"

"Did he say any reason why?" asked Luke.

"Only that he wishes to speak with you" replied Fey'lya "I presume it is something of military importance"

"Oh, okay" said Luke "I'll go to him now" He turned to go inside the building. Ahsoka started following him but Fey'lya stepped in her way.

"I'm sorry, but Admiral Ackbar specifically said he wanted to talk with Skywalker" said Fey'lya "If he wanted to talk with you, he would have specified it"

"Luke and I are partners" said Ahsoka "I'll come with him nonetheless"

"It's okay, Ahsoka" said Luke "If Ackbar wishes to speak with me alone, it's fine. I'll come back"

 _A few minutes later_

Ahsoka stood in the _Rogue Shadow_ 's lounge room. She looked on the shelf where the mask had lay before and picked up her old padawan braid which she had placed there. She looked at it for a few seconds before placing it back. She then sat down. She looked down at the compartment under her, where the mask was placed. She slowly began to open it before shutting it abruptly. She took a deep breath in.

"Just open it and pull it out quickly" said Ahsoka to herself "Then take it to the Jedi and tell them about it. They'll understand…they'll understand…" It was around that moment that she began remembering how the Jedi Council trialed her and disowned her; could history possibly repeat itself if she handed the mask in, even if she explained everything? She slowly opened the compartment without even looking at it and slowly reached in. As she touched the mask, she began to hear a word being repeated over and over again. However, it was so quiet that she could barely hear it properly. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind in an attempt to hear it properly.

"Ahsoka" said a voice. Upon hearing and recognizing it, she instantly pulled her hand out and shut the compartment. She turned to the doorway to see Leia standing there.

"Leia…I wasn't expecting you" said Ahsoka.

"Mon Mothma has given me a task" said Leia "I was wondering if you could accompany me there"

"Oh…okay; I mean, it's not like I've got anything better to do" said Ahsoka. The two of them walked out of the _Rogue Shadow_. "So what's your mission?"

"The Bothan spynet has picked up Imperial transmissions coming from the planet Muunilinst" said Leia "Suspicions have arisen that the Banking Clan may be conspiring with the Empire"

"I could use some catching up; I thought the Empire dissolved all of the Separatist factions" said Ahsoka.

"Not all of them" said Leia "The Banking Clan had dug so far in the Galactic economy that the Empire was fearful of dissolving them. They were granted amnesty and took up the job of printing the Empire's economy. When the war began however, they claimed they would stay neutral in the conflict. But with suspicions of the contrary, I have been sent to investigate" They reached a platform which had the _Sundered Heart_ with C-3PO and R2-D2 waiting for them outside.

"Princess Leia" said Fey'lya whilst walking up to them "I have decided to accompany you"

"Just out of question, any particular reason why?" asked Leia.

"I just wished to witness the meeting myself" replied Fey'lya "And to provide assistance if need be"

"Very well; you can come aboard" said Leia.

 _A few minutes later_

Ahsoka entered the bridge of the _Sundered Heart_ and sat down next to Leia.

"We're almost there" said Leia. Ahsoka nodded. "I was just thinking we could talk"

"About what exactly?" asked Ahsoka.

"Well…just about yourself" said Leia "Ahsoka, I invited you to come along because I wanted to get to know you better. Luke's told me so much about you; he looks up to you, you know. I mean; with Obi-Wan gone, you're the only link to his father he has left" Ahsoka sighed.

"I'm sorry if I've been a little rough to you" said Ahsoka "I guess this war's just been getting me down a little bit. Yes; I would like to get to know you better as well. You know; Luke's actually told me a lot about you too"

"Really?" smirked Leia "Anything in particular?"

"Just about how surprised he was when he first saw you wield a blaster, how influential and feisty you are, and how you insulted Chewie, several times" said Ahsoka "I mean; you have to be real brave to stand up to a Wookiee like that"

"He was in the way at the time" smirked Leia "And we were trying to get off the damn space station" Ahsoka thought about the mask for a second and began wondering if Leia could help her out. She seemed reasonable yet compassionate as well as understanding. She opened her mouth to speak but it was then that Fey'lya entered.

"Are we almost there?" asked Fey'lya.

"Should be coming up very shortly" replied Leia. They pulled out of hyperspace and came up upon Muunilinst. "Well; here we are" They flew down to the city of Harnaidan and landed on a landing pad and got out. It was about twilight and the sun was going down.

"You know; Obi-Wan once told me that he fought on Muunilinst during the Clone Wars" said Ahsoka "Hard to believe this whole city was once a battlefield" Her eyes were soon drawn to a male Sy Myrthian who stood a few meters away from them. He held a walking stick in his hand and was smoking a cigar.

"Akela Astar!" snarled Fey'lya quietly.

"I'm sorry?" said Ahsoka.

"That's Akela Astar" said Fey'lya "A crimelord; he's the kingpin of Corellia's underworld with strong ties to the black market" Astar took a look at Ahsoka and smirked. Standing by his side were his two henchmen; Ganmor (a male Houk) and Ramali (a male Phindian with a switchblade knife, which he constantly flicked on and off).

"What's he doing here then?" asked Ahsoka.

"Whatever it is; he'll go down for it" said Fey'lya. At that moment, Leia stopped in her tracks.

"On second thoughts, it may not be a good idea to bring in" said Leia "I'm sorry, Ahsoka; I don't want the chairman to think of us as a threat"

"Don't worry, I understand" said Ahsoka "I'll wait with the ship" She turned and walked back to the ship. A Muun aide walked up to Leia.

"Greetings, Princess Leia" said the Muun "The chairman is waiting for inside"

"Thank you" said Leia "Lead us there" They followed the Muun inside the building in front of them. He led them through hallways until bringing them into a large room where lay the Banking Clan council. Sitting at their front was Chairman Targo Huus, a tall male Muun. "Greetings, chairman; I am Leia Organa of Alderaan, daughter of Bail and Breha Organa"

"And for what purpose do you visit us?" asked Huus "We are but humble bankers who do not take part in your war"

"I'm not here to deny that claim" said Leia "Nor do I wish to bring the war to your planet; I have merely been sent here to—"

"Our spy network has picked up Imperial transmissions from your planet" said Fey'lya whilst stepping forward "We know that you claim to be neutral; but if rumors of you collaborating with the Empire are true, then it certainly contradicts the former"

"Nonsense" said a councilman "We have no involvement with the Empire beyond printing their currency. We would not become part of this war"

"Like I said before; we're not here to threaten you, we've just come here to be certain" said Leia "Believe me; the last thing I want is more enemies"

"The last time the Clan became involved with a full-scale war, the Empire murdered our chairman" said another councilman.

"We were fortunate that the Empire spared the rest of us" said another councilman.

"We may not necessarily be your friends, but neither are we your enemies" said another councilman.

"And I am perfectly fine with that" said Leia "But if you've got nothing to hide, you shouldn't have to worry. I'm sure there's an explanation for all of this; just give us time to find it, and you won't have to worry about this ever again"

"Let us hope so" said Huus "Escort Princess Leia to a suitable accommodation" Leia turned around to head to the door, but realized something odd.

"Wait; where's Fey'lya?" said Leia

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka sat at the _Sundered Heart_ 's conference table.

"So; interested in playing Dejarik?" said Ahsoka.

"I don't think we have it on this ship" said C-3PO. Ahsoka sighed. It was that they heard footsteps. Ahsoka got herself up and walked through the door and crept down the corridor silently. She peered out from a corner and noticed Fey'lya creeping down the corridor, dressed in a long cloak with a hood.

"Oh my; isn't that Borsk Fey'lya?" said C-3PO. Ahsoka immediately placed her hand over his mouth and gave him a "shush" mark. Fey'lya's ears pricked up and he turned in their direction. He crept over to the corner to have a look, but found no sign of them.

"Hmmm…" groaned Fey'lya before turning and leaving. It was then that Ahsoka and C-3PO emerged from a closet in the hallway.

"Whatever could he be up to?" said C-3PO.

"That's what I intend to find out" said Ahsoka "Stay here; I'll be back" She started moving down the corridor but soon realized that R2 was following her and stopped. "Sorry, R2; but I have to do this alone" R2 beeped. "I need to do this as subtly as possible, that's why I'm going alone. If he finds out I'm following him, I won't find what he's doing" R2 beeped disappointedly. "I'm sorry, little buddy; maybe another. Just stay here with 3PO" She walked out of the ship. She picked her lightsaber from her belt and hid it inside her boot, so that no one would know she was a Jedi. She followed Fey'lya down from the platform and into the streets. She kept a safe distance and made sure she was out of sight so Fey'lya wouldn't notice her.

"Hey gorgeous!" said a voice. Ahsoka turned around to see a Human thug with a small knife approaching her with a slimy grin across his face. "Quite a hot night, isn't it?" He wrapped his arm around her and softly prodded her on the breast with his knife. "Maybe I could help you cool off" Ahsoka shoved him off.

"I don't have time for this" said Ahsoka . She started walking away, only to bump into a Twi'lek thug who stood in front of her.

"Oh come on, baby!" smirked the Twi'lek thug "Don't you want to dance with us?" Ahsoka smirked.

"If it'll make you happy, let's dance!" said Ahsoka. She grabbed the Twi'lek thug by the wrist and spun him around, throwing him into the Human thug.

"Oh shoot!" exclaimed the Human thug "This girl's really into it!" The two thugs ran off down an alleyway and Ahsoka continued following after Fey'lya. He eventually came to a cantina down an alleyway and entered, with Ahsoka following silently behind. The interior of the cantina was crowded and she almost lost sight of him whilst pulling herself through the crowds. During this time, she accidently bumped into an Ithorian, who furiously started growling at her in Ithorese.

"Oh; sorry!" said Ahsoka. The Ithorian groaned and stomped off. Ahsoka eventually pulled herself into a clearing just in front of the bar, where Fey'lya had walked up to. The bartender was a Human woman with brown eyes and brown hair, and she appeared to be pregnant.

"What'll it be for you, sir?" asked the bartender. Fey'lya grabbed her wrist.

"Information" replied Fey'lya "Got any?"

"I'm sorry, sir; I'm not sure what you—" said the bartender.

"I've heard rumors about you and your little **spies** " said Fey'lya "Nothing happens on Muunilinst without you knowing; a bird wouldn't land without you knowing. You even know of the Banking Clan's biggest secrets, I've heard" The bartender looked around cautiously.

"I'll take you to the back" said the bartender quietly. She and Fey'lya exited through a doorway at the back of the bar. Ahsoka quietly followed them and peered out from the doorway. "What is it you want to know? Whatever it is, it can't be something that can trace back to me"

"Just something simple" replied Fey'lya "Where is Akela Astar hiding?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" said the bartender "What would a crime lord like him be doing in this particular part of the Outer Rim?"

"Lots of reasons" replied Fey'lya "I just need to know which one; so tell me where he is and I'll leave you be"

"I'm sorry; but I haven't seen him on this planet" said the bartender.

"Wrong!" snarled Fey'lya "I saw him earlier; a crime lord never ventures outside his territory unless there's something important. This means only one thing; you're lying"

"Look; I wish I could help you, but I honestly don't know where he is" said the bartender.

"Maybe I should add a little incentive" said Fey'lya. He pulled out a deactivator hold-out pistol from his coat.

"What are you doing?" said the bartender.

"I thought you knew everything" said Fey'lya "I see you're expecting; no father, I presume"

"What's it to you?" snapped the bartender.

"I wouldn't use that tone" said Fey'lya whilst pointing the pistol at her stomach.

"You wouldn't dare!" said the bartender.

"You've wasted enough of my time already" said Fey'lya "Now I'll say again; tell me where Astar is hiding, or I'll shoot"

"I swear; I don't know!" said the bartender. Fey'lya began pulling the trigger back.

"No!" snarled Fey'lya "He's on this planet. He's close, isn't here? I bet he's using you cantina as his base of operations. So that's you're not telling; you're hiding him because he'll kill you if you told anyone"

"Just leave, please!" begged the bartender "I don't know anything!" Ahsoka just couldn't stand by any longer. She stepped out, ignited her lightsaber, and held it towards Fey'lya's neck.

"Drop the gun and step away!" said Ahsoka. Fey'lya complied and stepped away. The bartender ran away. Ahsoka turned her lightsaber off and placed it back on her belt. "What were you doing?" Suddenly, Fey'lya pushed her forward aggressively, slamming her into the wall. "What was that for?"

"Why did you follow me here?" snarled Fey'lya.

"You threatened a civilian!" said Ahsoka.

"She's a lowlife; it's the only way to communicate with them" said Fey'lya "Besides; she was my only reachable link to finding Astar!"

"What's he got to do with this?" asked Ahsoka.

"Akela Astar has dealt with the Empire in the past" said Fey'lya "If the Empire is truly involved, he's a viable suspect. Whilst Organa may spend her time with diplomacy and endless meetings, I came here to find answers. I was on the verge of finding him, but you stepped in and ruined everything!" Ahsoka got herself up. She found herself very shocked at his switch in behavior; only a few minutes ago he seemed respectable and well-mannered, perhaps not extremely warm but still trustworthy nonetheless. Now, however, he seemed to be very arrogant and had no regard for the lives of others.

"That's not the Alliance way" said Ahsoka.

"Ha; your so-called "Alliance way" has only weakened us" said Fey'lya "The Empire's willing to go the extra mile yet we are not; no wonder they're winning. But hopefully that will change; it's my dream that one day the Alliance leader's will open their eyes and realize that in the long run, the ends will always justify the means"

"You're despicable" said Ahsoka.

"In the end, that's how you survive" said Fey'lya.

"There they are!" said a voice. Ahsoka turned to see Akela Astar and his henchmen standing in the doorway with the bartender at their side.

"Well, well, well; what have we here?" said Astar "Let's get'em, boys!" Ganmor and Ramali pulled out blasters and began shooting; Astar pointed his walking stick upwards and began shooting as well, revealing it to have blaster capabilities. Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber and began deflecting the shots. "Hold it; set to stun!" He and his henchmen briefly stopped, set their blasters to stun, and began shooting again.

"Fey'lya, get behind me!" said Ahsoka. There was no response. "Fey'lya?" She turned her head to see that Fey'lya had vanished (as well as his hold-out pistol). "Fey'lya!" Suddenly, a stun shot got her in the leg and was followed by one to the chest, rendering her unconscious.

 _Meanwhile_

Fey'lya snuck out into the streets. He snuck down an alleyway and sat himself down on a crate. He got out his hold-out blaster and had a look at it. He slowly reached it up and placed it on his arm. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before pulling the trigger.

"AHHHH!" screamed Fey'lya in pain.

 _Meanwhile_

"Get her to the back" said Astar.

"Why did we have to use stun, boss?" said Ganmor.

"Yeah; we could've finished her off then and there" said Ramali "A dead Jedi's a good Jedi"

"But our paymaster has requesting that should we fins a Jedi, we are to hand them over to him" said Astar "This is too perfect!" Across the cantina, R2 watched in the corner and wailed nervously.

 _Meanwhile_

Whiphid Jedi Master K'Kruhk sat outside the Alderaanian palace cross-legged and deep in meditation.

"There is no emotion, there is peace" said K'Kruhk "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no death, there is—" He received a vision. It came up so fast that he could not see it properly; all he could remember was a flash of black, white, and red. "Hmmm; ancient evil, powerful evil, the likes of which haven't been seen since the Old Republic…" He stood himself up. "I must get myself to higher grounds" He pulled his large conical hat up onto his head and started walking up a hillside. Once he had gotten to the top, he sat cross-legged and began meditating again "I must see what that was"

 _Meanwhile_

Leia, Huus, and the Muun aide walked out to the landing platform.

"We'll check my ship next" said Leia "Perhaps he's on there" At that moment, Fey'lya walked up to them, holding his arm in pain and appearing to be tired out. "Fey'lya, what happened to you?" Fey'lya sat himself down on a crate.

"I went back to the ship when I found Commander Tano walking out of it" replied Fey'lya "I wondered what she was doing so I followed her down the streets. When I finally caught up to her, I found her interrogating civilians"

"What would she do that for?" asked Leia.

"I presume she was trying to find leads for your investigation" said Fey'lya "I confronted her about it, but she attacked me. But we were suddenly attacked by Akela Astar and his gang. I only just got out of there with my life; I last saw her holding her ground against them"

"Ahsoka is a Jedi, she wouldn't do anything like that" said Leia.

"That's what I saw" said Fey'lya.

"A Jedi!" said Huus "You brought a Jedi here?"

"It's a long story" said Leia "But I tell you, she's not dangerous"

"Whatever the matter is, we should assume that Astar is involved somehow" said Fey'lya. He got himself up. "I'll contact Corellia for a fleet; if we could make a blockade to prevent them from getting offworld—"

"We cannot allow an armed occupation on our planet" said Huus.

"Given the circumstances, I would suggest we make an exception" said Fey'lya.

"He's right, Fey'lya" said Leia "We're on their grounds so we must obey their rules. But I will inform the Alliance High Command on our progress" She walked into the _Sundered Heart_ and sat down at the conference table.

"Oh; Princess Leia, you're back" said C-3PO whilst walking up to Leia "How did the meeting go?"

"I'm still no closer to finding the cause of the Imperial transmissions since I started" said Leia.

"That is most unfortunate" said C-3PO "Say; has Miss Ahsoka returned yet?"

"Excuse me?" asked Leia.

"Borsk Fey'lya was sneaking through the ship so Miss Ahsoka decided to follow him" said C-3PO "She told R2 and I to stay here and said she would be back, but she hasn't returned yet" Leia sighed.

"I knew he wasn't telling the truth" said Leia.

"Who wasn't?" asked C-3PO.

"Fey'lya just came back with a shot in the arm and said that Ahsoka was interrogating civilians and attacked him" said Leia.

"Why would he lie?" asked C-3PO.

"Clearly he's hiding something that Ahsoka found out" said Leia "Wait a second, where's R2?" C-3PO looked around.

"Oh dear!" said C-3PO "He's gone off after her after she specifically told us to stay here. Oh that little bucket of bolts; one of these days he's going to get into so much trou—" At that moment, a hologram projector that Leia had in her pocket began to beep. She got it out and it projected a hologram of R2 who beeped. "R2, what are you doing down the streets? Miss Ahsoka said she was handling it herself; why did you—" R2 beeped. "What; she's been kidnapped? By who?" R2 beeped. "Who is this Akela Astar you're talking about?"

"R2, can you give us your coordinates?" asked Leia. R2 beeped positively. "Stay put; we're coming for you"

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka awoke and found herself in a containment field.

"Ah; you're awake at last" said Astar.

"Where am I?" asked Ahsoka.

"That's for us to know and you to worry about!" snapped Ramali "And secondly, do not speak to the boss without permission first!"

'Hold it, Ramali" said Ganmor "My apologizes; what he's trying to say is, we can't tell you where you are and that it would be more respectful to ask for permission to speak first"

"It's alright, she can talk as much as she wants" said Astar "Bartender did inform of your heroism, and look where that got you. It just goes to show how naive you are. You Jedi may go around doing these "good" things for the sake of justice with no rewards; but in the underworld, money is everything"

"You know; it's not a particularly wise idea to taunt a Jedi" smirked Ahsoka.

"Really?" smirked Astar whilst picking her lightsaber from his belt "Even when I have your lightsaber?"

"What if I told you that I'm with the Alliance; and any moment now, they'll realize I'm gone and come for me?" said Ahsoka.

"I have no doubt your with the Alliance, only safe place for a Jedi these days" said Astar "But I assume your Bothan friend was the only "Alliance" member present; and the last I saw him, he left you to save his own skin after you held a lightsaber to his throat. I don't think he'll be rescuing you anytime soon. You're lucky that my paymaster wants you alive; if I had my way, I would sell you on the slave market. There's a high demand for colorful species at the moment…especially female ones"

"Who's your paymaster?" asked Ahsoka.

"You'll find out very shortly" said Astar "I've inform him of your presence and he's on his way" A door at the corner began to open. "And that should be him" Out of the shadows, IWAI stepped through. "Leave us, this is business" Ganmor and Ramali left the room. "Welcome back; I have some—"

"Are they in place?" asked IWAI.

"Well; yes, they are" replied Astar.

"Good; you have done your job well" said IWAI.

"I have something else for you" said Astar whilst pointing his walking stick at Ahsoka "We found a Jedi and decided to bring her before you" IWAI turned to Ahsoka.

"Where is her lightsaber?" asked IWAI.

"Right here" replied Astar whilst handing him Ahsoka's lightsaber.

"You have done your job well" said IWAI "You can leave now"

"Hold on just a minute!" snapped Astar "I did all this for you; I even spent time subduing this Jedi. You can't just make me do your work and expect it to free; what do I get in return?" Suddenly, IWAI grabbed him by the throat and threw him into the wall. Astar got himself up and quickly ran out of the room. IWAI turned back to Ahsoka.

 _Meanwhile_

Leia and C-3PO followed R2 into the cantina. R2 went behind the bar.

"Hey; what are you doing?" said the bartender whilst blocking R2 off. R2 beeped impatiently.

"What's he doing?" said Leia.

"He seems convinced that Miss Ahsoka is at the back" said C-3PO. Leia stepped forward.

"Hey lady, is this your droid?" said the bartender.

"In a way, yes" said Leia "And he thinks he thinks you're holding one of our friends at the back"

"What are you talking about?" said the bartender. R2 bumped the bartender forward and went through the doorway. Leia and C-3PO followed him into the back. "Hold on; you can't just go back there without authorization!"

"We have a friend in need" said Leia.

"And your droid thinks they're back there?" said the bartender.

"He's never been wrong before" said Leia.

"And that's reason enough to come barging in here without permission and accusing me of such things?" said the bartender.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything" said Leia. R2 found a small terminal and activated it, causing a hidden door between two shelves to open up. "Well; now that's something, isn't it?" She, C-3PO, and R2 entered through the door.

"Hey, don't go back there!" snapped the bartender.

 _Meanwhile_

"You're IWAI, aren't you?" said Ahsoka.

"That is correct" said IWAI.

"Why's Akela Astar working for you?" said Ahsoka "I thought you wanted to destroy all organic lifeforms"

"Without my legion, I will temporally have to use unconventional means to get my tasks done" said IWAI "It is fascinating what some lifeforms will do for money" He scanned Ahsoka. "Name: Ahsoka Tano. Homeworld: Shili. Species: Togruta. Gender: Female. Age…unusual; according to files, you should be 38 yet you are physically 21"

"Believe me, it's a long story" said Ahsoka.

"That part is insignificant" said IWAI "You are coming with me nonetheless"

"What do you want with me?" said Ahsoka.

"I have studied the history of this galaxy over and over, and I have realized an important factor" said IWAI "What organic lifeforms possess that droids have never is the Force. Whether they are Jedi or Sith, the Force has always given organic lifeforms an advantage. I intend to even out the playing field. Once at a secure location, I will dissect you over and over again to discover how it works, how to cancel it out, and perhaps even how to replicate it. Then I shall have the edge in this conflict"

"The Force is more than you could ever imagine" said Ahsoka.

"We shall see soon enough" said IWAI. At that moment, the door behind him opened up with Leia, C-3PO, and R2 standing in the hallway.

"Oh by the maker!" exclaimed C-3PO "What is that?" Leia pointed her blaster at IWAI.

"Let my friend go!" said Leia. IWAI turned around and scanned Leia.

"Name: Leia Organa" said IWAI "Homeworld—" Leia shot him several times to little effect. IWAI walked up to her and grabbed her by the neck.

"Oh dear!" exclaimed C-3PO. R2 quickly went over to the containment field's controls and switched it off, dropping Ahsoka down.

"You have no purpose to me" said IWAI. He charged up power in his other hand. "So you shall perish quickly" Ahsoka summoned her lightsaber from him, ignited it, and swiftly cut off the arm that was holding Leia. Leia tore herself free and got up. IWAI picked up his arm. "Even though I could destroy you in combat, I cannot afford more damage to my body at this stage" He activated a pair of jets on his back and began hovering.

"What are you planning?" said Ahsoka

"You shall see soon enough" said IWAI. He flew out of flew off out of the room. Ahsoka and Leia followed him outside and the last they saw was him flying off into the stars.

"We've got our work cut out for us" said Ahsoka.

 _A few minutes later_

Ahsoka and Leia sat in the cockpit of the _Sundered Heart_ in front of a hologram of Mon Mothma and Rahm Kota.

"So IWAI could have an involvement in all of this?" said Mon Mothma.

"There's no way he could've been just there at the time" said Leia "My investigation just got more complex, it seems"

"If IWAI is indeed involved, the situation could turn dangerous extremely fast" said Kota "You may need reinforcements"

"We're not allowed to bring troops in because we're on neutral ground" said Leia "However; I was able to negotiate with the chairman and we were able to come to an agreement. He will allow one starship to enter space, but only one"

"We'll make the most of it" said Mon Mothma. The hologram turned off.

"Hey; I just wanted to say thank you" said Ahsoka "I mean, I don't know many people who would stand up to IWAI like that. I certainly owe you one"

"It was nothing" said Leia with a smile "You know, it's been a long night; and from the looks of it, we'll our strength in the morning. The Clan was able to make accommodations for me, but I'm afraid it's only single. I don't think they expecting anyone else"

"It's okay" said Ahsoka "I'll sleep on the ship. Besides, someone's got to keep an eye on those two"

"Well, goodnight" said Leia.

"Goodnight" said Ahsoka. Leia turned to leave. "Hey Leia, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"What exactly?" asked Leia.

"Well…there's…there's something that Luke and I are hiding…" said Ahsoka. Leia raised an eyebrow. "Something we have to tell the Jedi about; and I kind of entrusted Luke to it but he couldn't. So then I tried telling them; but I found it difficult as well, and I didn't tell them. What should we do?" Leia walked over Ahsoka, kneeled down to eye level, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ahsoka; whatever it is, give it time" said Leia "You just need to relax and think about calmly. When you're ready to go forward about it, you'll know" She stood up and exited. Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief, lay back in her chair, and looked up at the stars.

 **Author's note** : If anyone is interested, I have started a poll. Should Leia know that she's adopted or not; make sure to place your votes if you wish. Anyways, till' next time.


	2. Countdown to Extinction

**Countdown to Extinction**

 _Revelations on Muunilinst! After discovering Imperial transmissions on the Banking Clan capital, Princess Leia was dispatched to investigate. Accompanying her was Jedi Ahsoka Tano and Borsk Fey'lya, a shrewd and self-absorbed Bothan politician with little regard for others. After a scuffle in the city of Harnaidan, Tano has discovered that IWAI, and Imperial artificial intelligence gone wrong, may have an involvement in the mystery._

 _After negotiating with the Banking Clan chairman, Princess Leia was able to come to a compromise and was allowed to summon one ship to the planet to help. But will the help be enough to stop IWAI's devastating plans…_

 _The Sundered Heart, Muunilinst_

Ahsoka lay in her bed and was beginning to toss and turn.

 _Ahsoka's dream_

Ahsoka was running down a dark alley at night. Despite how fast she was, the alley seemed to never end. Suddenly, as the smoke cleared up ahead, Darth Vader appeared in front of her. She skidded to a stop.

"Enough of this, child" said Vader "The time has come for you to join me"

"Never!" said Ahsoka "I'll never turn to the dark side"

"But you must" said Vader "It is your destiny to join me. Always has been, always will be" Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber. "Very unwise" Suddenly, Ahsoka noticed that next to him, chained up on the ground, was Luke.

"Luke!" said Ahsoka. Vader began force-choking him. "Let him go!"

"You can end this" said Vader "Come with me and I will let him live" Ahsoka breathed heavily as she looked between the two of them, unsure of what to do.

 _Back to reality_

Ahsoka woke up breathing heavily. As she calmed down, she pulled herself up and sat on the side of her bed, and breathed in. She stood up and walked out to get herself breakfast.

 _A few minutes later_

Ahsoka sat at the conference table with a bowl of cereal. She wasn't eating it rather than looking down into it and giving it the occasional stir.

"Mind if I join you?" said a voice. Ahsoka looked up to see Leia standing near the table with a bowl of cereal in her hands.

"Sure, feel free" said Ahsoka. Leia sat herself down and began to eat her cereal.

"How was your sleep?" asked Leia.

"To be honest, it was a little difficult" replied Ahsoka "I guess I just had so much on my mind that I just couldn't rest properly"

"I know how that feels" said Leia.

"So is there anything I missed?" asked Ahsoka.

"I made the contact with the _Liberty_ ; they say they've just arrived and are preparing the men" said Leia "I told them to do it a bit subtlety, so it didn't look like an armed occupation. Also, the Banking Clan council has been rounded up and are being interrogated in case they had an involvement with Astar"

"Whose idea was that?" asked Ahsoka.

"Who do you think?" asked Leia. Ahsoka shuddered at the thought. "I know; Fey'lya can be difficult" Ahsoka raised an eyebrow. "Okay, he can be pretty damn arrogant; but you need to understand there's more to him than that"

"Can you explain further?" asked Ahsoka.

"You may not like Fey'lya, but we need him" said Leia "The Bothans have been some of our biggest supporters in the war and they appointed Fey'lya with the job of representing them. They look up to him because he's strong and has a will to get things done, even though some of the things he use that will for are questionable…to say the least. It's just, we don't want to upset them or they could withdraw support of the Alliance; and we need as many allies as we can in this war, especially after Garm Bel Iblis left"

"I suppose that makes sense" said Ahsoka "Say; you said yesterday that we could tell each other about each other's pasts. I just want you to know that I'd like that"

"Okay; you start" said Leia.

"I was born on Shili but I was raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant" said Ahsoka "Jedi Master Plo Koon was on a mission there when he found me. Sensing my connection to the Force, he brought me back to the temple where I trained for years. I learned how to manipulate the Force and how to wield a lightsaber, but my real adventure didn't begin until the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Master Yoda had me sent off to the Battle of Christophsis to meet my master, Anakin Skywalker. We had a shaky start, but we eventually got used to each other. I may have learned the basics at the temple; but with Anakin, I got real experience"

"What was he like?" asked Leia.

"Not the most conventional Jedi" replied Ahsoka "In fact; he disobeyed direct orders from Master Obi-Wan, Master Windu, and pretty much every other Jedi Master. Man, I thought those days would last forever…if only I knew…"

"What happened?" asked Leia.

"Various protests against the Republic and the Jedi Order had formed and they turning violent really quick" replied Ahsoka "Eventually, a hanger in the Jedi Temple was bombed, causing the deaths of many Jedi and temple guards. We captured a suspect and I was talking to her when she was killed. I was suspected of the crime and detained for it. I managed to escape; but before I knew it, I was framed again. I didn't know what else to do so I ran and escaped into the Coruscant underworld. I tried to find the culprit, but they set me up again and I was captured and put before a court, but not before the Jedi Council disowned me. I thought I was doomed, but Anakin found the real culprit"

"Who was it?" asked Leia.

"A Jedi Knight named Barriss Offee, who was a friend of mine and who I thought I could trust" replied Ahsoka "Turns out she just used that trust to use my as a scapegoat. Afterwards; the Jedi Council offer to take me back. I was tempted at first, but…I just couldn't; not after they doubted like that, even my oldest friend Plo Koon doubted. I said goodbye to Anakin and left the temple. After the rise of the Empire, I knew that they were going to hunt me down, so I fled Coruscant but got caught in a stasis pod along the way. I don't know where it came from; but when I awoke, I was on the planet Kowak and it had been seventeen years since the Empire was formed. I made myself a little hut and lived there, with only a bunch of Kowakian monkey-lizards for company. That was until I was approached my Master Jat Chai, who told me of everything that had happened and gave me an offer to rejoin the Order. I was reluctant at first, but I eventually agreed to it. Shortly afterwards, I was sent off to the Battle of Mygeeto to become Luke's new partner, and we've been together ever since. Your turn

"I grew up on Alderaan; my father was the planet's senator, my mother was the queen, so that made me princess" said Leia "It was a beautiful planet; rolling plains, stunning mountains, serene grasslands and forests…just thinking about it makes me miss it even more. When my father started the Rebel Alliance with Master Kota and Mon Mothma, I supported him; but he made sure the Empire didn't know of my involvement whilst I continued to represent my planet in the Imperial Senate. But all of that changed one day; the Death Star was complete, but we had finally retrieved the plans for it so we could find a weakness and finally destroy it before it could cause the galaxy any harm. It was harder than I thought; we were chased down by Darth Vader who captured me, but I had already the sent plans off in R2. He brought me back to the Death Star to interrogate, but I wouldn't give in. So they moved up their methods; he brought me over to Tarkin—" Ahsoka subtlety clenched her fists at the sound of that name. "—who threatened to use the Death Star to destroy Alderaan if I didn't tell them where the Rebel base was. I eventually gave them the location of a former Rebel base on Dantooine, but he fired anyway just to prove a point" Leia closed her eyes. "I could do nothing as that monster ordered the destruction of an innocent and peaceful world and the deaths of almost everyone I knew, including my father. Luke, Han, and Chewie eventually came aboard the Death Star and rescued me. We were able to return to the base on Yavin 4 and use the plans to find a weakness, which we did and we destroyed it"

"Yeah; Luke told me that part" said Ahsoka "You know how you told me that I was Luke's only link back to his father" Leia nodded. "Well; to be honest, he's my only link back to Anakin too. Anakin was like a big brother to me, and he was the only one I knew didn't doubt me during my final days in the Order. When I discovered that he was gone…I just didn't know what to do. But now I do know; I need to make sure that a similar fate doesn't happen to Luke. I may not be a master, but I'll guide him and protect him anyway I can" It was then that Luke entered the room.

"Luke?" said Leia.

"Hey, how's things?" said Luke.

"I didn't know you were coming" said Leia whilst Luke sat himself down at the table.

"When I found out that IWAI was involved, I knew I had to come" said Luke.

"Didn't Ackbar have a mission for you or something?" asked Ahsoka.

"He just wanted to run me through on recent events and planned operations" said Luke "I guess since I've been gone, he decided it was necessary to inform me of it"

"I wonder why he didn't ask for me as well" said Ahsoka.

"Actually, he seemed surprised that you weren't there" said Luke.

"What?" said Ahsoka.

"He asked for me and I guess he expected you would be there with me" said Luke "He never meant for me exclusively" Ahsoka breathed a sigh. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" replied Ahsoka "I just had a bad run in with Fey'lya. I was in the ship when I saw him come back for a cloak. I followed him through the streets until I reached a cantina, where I found him threatening a pregnant woman for information"

"Wait, what?" said Luke "I can't believe anyone in the Alliance would do that"

"The worst part is that he's getting away with it" said Ahsoka "Can you believe that?"

"That's ridiculous; how can he do that?" said Luke.

"Calm down, the both of you" said Leia "You have every right to be angry at Fey'lya, but now's not the time. We need to find out what IWAI is up to and we need to find it fast, before it is too late"

 _Meanwhile_

Captain Ghetro (a green Mon Calamari captain) stood in the bridge of the _Liberty_ in front of a hologram of Fey'lya and Huus.

"The troops you sent are proving to be very effective" said Fey'lya.

"I'm glad you admire them" said Ghetro "But do we need them? The Banking Clan will be unhappy if troops are simply around"

"They're serving a particular purpose, I assure you" said Fey'lya "I have sent one half to investigate the facilities and uncover any potential clues. The other half have been sent to capture Astar before he can escape offworld; he could hold vital information"

"I understand, and it's a fine plan" said Ghetro "But remember what Princess Leia said; we need to respect the Banking Clan's wishes, she was lucky to allow a single ship to begin with"

"I guarantee you that we'll be discreet" said Fey'lya.

"You had better" said Huus "The Empire already has considerable control over us, we don't need another change of leadership"

 _Meanwhile_

A group of Rebel troopers searched through an office in the Banking Clan's building.

"Nothing here from the looks of it" said a rebel trooper whilst looking underneath a desk.

"If we can't find anything within the next few minutes, we'll just have to search another room" said another rebel trooper.

"But Borsk Fey'lya told us to be thorough" said the first rebel trooper.

"I know; but if something happens in another room on this side but we're not there for it, we're sunk" said the second rebel trooper.

"Over here, I've found something" said another rebel trooper who stood outside a large closet. The other rebel troopers walked over to him. Inside the closet lay a large black sphere with a small blank display panel.

"We better let Fey'lya know straight away" said the second rebel trooper.

 _Meanwhile_

Chelaa Secura walked over to the meditating K'Kruhk.

"Master?" asked Chelaa. There was no response. "I am sorry if I disturbed you, I was just making sure you were alright so—" At that moment, K'Kruhk opened his eyes and breathed heavily. "Master, what is the matter?"

"Find Rahm Kota, tell him to come here immediately" replied K'Kruhk.

"At once, master" said Chelaa. She ran off.

 _Meanwhile_

"Understood" said Fey'lya into his comlink. He got out a hologram projected and brought up a hologram of Ghetro. "I have news, captain; your men have discovered strange black spheres within both sides of the building"

"And what purpose would they have?" asked Ghetro.

"We do not know yet" replied Fey'lya "They are obviously connected to our investigation"

"Fey'lya, we have something urgent" said a rebel trooper through Fey'lya's comlink.

"What is it, sergeant?" asked Fey'lya.

"The sphere; it's some kind of bomb" replied the rebel trooper "It's counting down"

 _Meanwhile_

"We should deactivate them as quickly as possible" said Ghetro "Are there any signs of—"

"Captain, the ship is under attack!" said a rebel trooper from the ship's comlink "It's some kind of droid, it just entered from the hanger. We're holding our own against it but we're being depleted fast; damn thing has a shield!"

"Is it a droideka?" asked Ghetro.

"No, it isn't" replied the rebel trooper "For one thing, it's got only two legs. Wait; I think it's found-AHHHHH!"

"Oh no!" said Ghetro "We're going to need more help"

 _Meanwhile_

A hologram projector that Luke held in his pocket began to buzz. He got it out and brought up a hologram of Ghetro.

"Captain Ghetro, what's happening?" asked Luke.

"Commander Skywalker, we need your help" said Ghetro "A droid is attacking the ship and the men can't stop it because it has a powerful shield"

"IWAI!" said Luke "Just hang on; I'll be there shortly" He switched the hologram off.

"I'm coming too" said Ahsoka "You'll need help fighting him"

"So am I" said Leia.

"With all due respect, Leia; I think it might be too dangerous for you" said Luke.

"You'll need everyone to take down that thing" said Leia whilst grabbing her blaster from the table "I'm coming, whether you like it or not" Luke knew that there was no way to convince her otherwise, not when she had already made up her mind.

"C'mon; we can take the shuttle I brought down" said Luke.

 _Meanwhile_

Kota ran up to K'Kruhk in the memorial garden.

"You wanted to see me, K'Kruhk" said Kota.

"Master Kota, I have urgent news" said K'Kruhk.

"What is it?" asked Kota.

"I was meditating when I felt a dark disturbance in the Force" said K'Kruhk "It was just a flicker at first, but I knew it was dangerous; so I decided to reach out further. I moved myself to higher ground and meditated harder until I eventually traced it to the planet Korriban"

"The Sith homeworld?" said Kota "But it is nothing but ruins; all that is left of the ancient Sith are their spirits, and they cannot interact with the physical world"

"Perhaps not" said K'Kruhk "But from what I saw, things are about to change"

 _K'Kruhk's flashback_

K'Kruhk walked through the Valley of the Sith Lords in an astral state.

" _As you know, spirits cannot interact physically with the material world. They can appear to us and even communicate with us, but they cannot physically harm us. But things are always changing…"_

Suddenly, a pile of bones arose up from the ground and formed together into the form of a skeletal Sith warrior wielding a scimitar-like weapon. The skeleton screamed like a banshee and charged towards K'Kruhk, who quickly ignited his lightsaber and blocked the attack before performing a powerful spin and shattering it.

" _As the war grows, so too does the power of the dark side. And as the dark side grows stronger, their power grows as well. They are getting closer to becoming a physical threat. But it is even worse than that; something is making them grow stronger…"_

The ground in front of him started cracking with black mist arising.

" _An ancient evil has awakened…one that is growing powerful by every second…"_

A humanoid covered in mist arose from the cracks. K'Kruhk's mouth fell open. The humanoid began to utter an ancient Sith language of unknown origin. The black mist around it began to swirl around it. K'Kruhk immediately turned around and began running until eventually vanishing.

 _Back to reality_

"The dark side's power is making the Sith spirits stronger?" said Kota "We have to do something about this. I'll lead an expedition to Korriban immediately"

"No!" said K'Kruhk "We must find out the source of the spirits power first and then go to confront it. Remember, do not go to Korriban without knowing what to do first; if you go unprepared and not knowing what your true objective is, you'll be lost there forever"

"Then we'll find out what this ancient power is" said Kota.

"Good" said K'Kruhk "Remember; do not underestimate the dark side's power, or we will all suffer indefinitely. We'll discuss the rest of this later; right now...I must rest"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke landed his shuttle in the hanger of the _Liberty_.

"How can we stop him?" said Ahsoka "I mean; I was able to damage him, but not stop him"

"IWAI's intelligent, got a bit too intelligent for the Empire's own good" said Luke "But he's still following his programming, which means he can't be reasoned with. We'll have to take him down strategically, aim for weak points"

"Any advice on any weak points?" asked Ahsoka.

"When Maris encountered IWAI, she said she defeated him by stabbing him through the chest" said Luke.

"Aim for the chest, got it" said Ahsoka.

"If we can get to the chest, that is" said Leia. Luke noticed that she held a lot of grenades on her belt.

"You sure came prepared" said Luke.

"EMP grenades" said Leia "They'll short-circuit any machine; and these ones are modified to stick to almost any surface. Given our chances, we'd better be precise. Also; Fey'lya just contacted me. The troops have discovered bombs in the banking clan's facilities"

"IWAI must have gotten Astar and his henchmen to plant those things" said Ahsoka "How much time do we have?"

"Little less than half an hour" replied Leia "So we'd better hurry"

 _Meanwhile_

"We can't just sit by here and do nothing" said a rebel trooper "Perhaps if we were to take the bomb apart and see how it works

"Then what are we waiting for?" said another rebel trooper. He walked over to the bomb and kneeled down. "Can't see any entry; perhaps I could feel it" He placed his hands on it and tried to feel something that could open it up; but upon touching it, he was electrocuted and collapsed. Another rebel trooper rushed to him and checked his pulse.

"He's dead, sir" said the third rebel trooper.

"We have to alert Fey'lya" said the first rebel trooper "Fey'lya, we've got urgent news. One of our men tried to take the bomb apart but got killed doing it; we're assuming it means we can't touch it"

"Then find some other way to deactivate it" said Fey'lya through his comlink.

"But sir, if we cannot touch it, then how are we supposed to deactivate it?" asked the first rebel trooper.

"Find a way" asked Fey'lya.

 _Meanwhile_

"Sir, good news; we've captured Astar" said a rebel trooper through Fey'lya's comlink "We found his ship and him in it before he could escape"

"That's the news I've been waiting to hear" said Fey'lya "Bring me to him immediately"

"Yes sir" said the rebel trooper.

 _Meanwhile_

"Captain, it's almost at the bridge" said a rebel trooper through the ship's comlink "I'll hold him off as long as I can, but…." The doors to the bridge opened and the body of the rebel trooper was thrown across it. IWAI stepped in, protected by a powerful shield that surrounded him. Ghetro took cover while the rebel troopers aboard the bridge opened fire upon him, but they could not break the shield. A pair of shoulder-mounted cannons retracted out and began shooting various troopers in his way until there were none left. He walked over to a control panel, extended his hands out, and connected into the panel with wires that extended from his wrists. Ghetro looked down and saw a blaster lying on the floor next time. He grabbed the blaster and took a look at it.

"I did promise the admiral I would return this ship safely" said Ghetro quietly "Commander Skywalker, the intruder has reached the bridge and it is doing something to the system"

"Just hang on; we're a few minutes from the bridge, but we're on our way" said Luke through his comlink. Ghetro peered out and looked at IWAI.

"I'm afraid we may not have a few minutes" said Ghetro "Just keep coming; I'll keep him busy" He leapt out and ran over to IWAI, shooting with his blaster. All the shots were deflected by the shield, but it was enough to gain IWAI's attention. IWAI's shoulder cannons turned around and started shooting at Ghetro, who hid behind another control panel. IWAI turned around and walked over to him. Ghetro started shooting again. IWAI reached out of the shield, grabbed Ghetro by the throat, and began squeezing. "You…won't win!"

"I already have" said IWAI. He squeezed harder and harder until eventually suffocating the Mon Calamari. He dropped his corpse on the floor, went back over to the control panel, and connected himself in again. Suddenly, Luke, Ahsoka, and Leia entered the bridge with several rebel troopers behind them. Luke and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers. "Jedi. Unexpected; but not unprepared for" He turned his shoulder cannons towards them and began shooting. Luke and Ahsoka deflected his blasts with their lightsabers.

"Get to cover; we'll handle this!" said Luke. Leia and the rebel troopers hid behind cover whilst Luke and Ahsoka ran up to IWAI, deflecting every one of his shots.

"He's hacking into the system, Luke" said Leia "Stop him before he takes control of the ship" Luke and Ahsoka threw their lightsabers at the panel, destroying it. IWAI turned around to face them.

"Do you think you have defeated me?" said IWAI "All I need is another panel to hack into, and then I shall have this ship"

"I'm guessing those bombs down there are yours, aren't they?" said Luke "Why attack Muunilinst?"

"You destroyed my legion and forced me to turn to unconventional means of achieving my goal" replied IWAI "The Banking Clan's place in the galactic economy is substantial and cannot simply be removed without permanent damage. The Empire knew this and is the only reason why they were spared. This city is the heart of the clan; without it, the other outposts will fall easily. The galactic economy collapsing, organic lifeforms shall tear each other apart. And when it is over, the remaining individuals will be too weak against my forces. I tell you this because it is not a threat; my plans are already in motion"

"It'll never happen" said Luke "We've found your bombs"

"That may be so; but you cannot touch them once they are active, or you shall die" said IWAI. He began shooting at them again.

 _Meanwhile_

Astar sat handcuffed and locked inside the officer's quarters aboard the _Sundered Heart_. Fey'lya entered.

"Leave us" said Fey'lya. The two rebel troopers who stood at the door left.

"I was wondering when to expect company" said Astar "Don't worry; I haven't told your men yet that you ran away scared"

"Save your breath!" snarled Fey'lya "I want answers; I know that IWAI contacted you to plant the bombs and the men cannot touch them without dying. Tell me, how do we dispose of them?"

"Do you really think I would know?" said Astar "He was paying us to plant those damn things, not to learn how they work. Besides, I would rather not think about how he cheated us"

"I have no time for your games, scum!" snarled Fey'lya "Now tell me, how do we deactivate them?"

"Well; if you're going to be like that, I'm not telling you anything" said Astar.

"That only implies that you do know something" said Fey'lya. He pulled a shiv out from his pocket.

"You can't be serious" said Astar.

"Are you really going to take that chance?" said Fey'lya. He walked over to Astar and placed the shiv at his throat. "Now; if you know any better, you will tell me everything you know" He began to slowly push the shiv into his throat.

"Wait, there was something!" begged Astar. Fey'lya stopped pressing.

"Talk" said Fey'lya.

"He doesn't know this; but I had him spied upon, no way I was going to blindly follow his orders without having some idea of whatr he was up to" said Astar "One time; it looked like he was programming the bombs and he was connecting with them"

"Connecting?" said Fey'lya.

"He had a cable at the back of his head that was connected with them" said Astar "Once that was done; he seemed to program them without even touching them"

"Of course; they are connected with him" said Fey'lya. He stood up and placed the shiv away. "Remember, we are still within the bomb's vicinity; if you are either lying or don't know, you'll die with the rest of us. And one other thing; don't tell anyone about this" He exited the room. "Princess Leia, I have news for you; I interrogated Astar and he told me something important—"

 _Meanwhile_

"IWAI may be connected to the bombs" said Fey'lya through Leia's comlink.

"I think that's obvious at this stage" said Leia into her comlink.

"By connected, I mean that they are active because he is active" said Fey'lya "I would recommend destroying"

"Got it" said Leia "Luke, we have to get that shield down quick. I've gotten word that we might be able to get rid of the bombs if we destroy IWAI"

"Kind of busy right now" said Luke into his comlink "But we'll do what we can. Ahsoka, let's find cover" The two of them hid behind a control panel. "We have to get that shield down and fast. We'll just need to find what's projecting it" Ahsoka peered out and looked at IWAI carefully. She noticed that a small drone was hovering around IWAI.

"I think I found it" said Ahsoka quietly "He has a drone that looks like it's projecting it, but it's on the inside of the shield"

"Then we use the Force" said Luke quietly.

"We need good concentration so we have to get close, but we can't let him see us" said Ahsoka "We'll need a distraction"

"I'll keep him busy" said Luke quietly. He got up and ran over to IWAI.

"Luke, wait…" said Ahsoka quietly "Always rushing into things…" She put on a small smirk. "Like his father before him" IWAI began shooting at Luke, who deflected each of the shots. Ahsoka crept up to IWAI silently and extended her arm out towards the drone. She slowly began to force-crush it. Suddenly, IWAI turned his head around towards her and shot a cable out from his wrist towards her which stunned her. However, she was able to clench her fist and destroyed the drone, bringing the shield down. Seeing what IWAI was doing to her, Luke leapt up towards him. Suddenly, IWAI turned around and grabbed Luke by the throat.

"Pathetic" said IWAI. Luke desperately stabbed his lightsaber through his chest, but nothing happened.

"H-How…" breathed Luke.

"It is true that my first body had vulnerability in the chest" said IWAI "But I have overcome that weakness" Ahsoka got herself up, ignited her lightsaber, and threw it at IWAI's arm, cutting it clean off and freeing Luke.

"Well you didn't overcome that weakness" smirked Ahsoka. IWAI activate his jets and flew up into the air and began shooting at her and Luke.

"Fire!" said Leia quietly. The rebel troopers pointed their blasters at IWAI and began shooting. Whilst the shots did damage to his body, he still show little sign of weakening and began shooting at them as well. "Luke, try to get him to come down"

"On it" said Luke. He dodged and deflected IWAI's shots. "Ahsoka, could use some help getting up" Ahsoka nodded and ran over to him. Luke leapt at her and she helped boost him up. He grabbed onto IWAI's foot. IWAI attempted to shake him off but he kept his grip firm. He carefully aimed his lightsaber and threw it at his jets, causing him to crash down with Luke leaping off at the last minute.

"Great, Luke" said Leia quietly into her comlink "Now just kept him still" She pulled the EMP grenades from her belt and handed them to the rebel troopers. "Now remember to aim carefully. We can't afford him surviving"

"Did you really think that you could stop me?" said IWAI "I will kill every last one of you and take the ship for myself"

"The makings of your very own fleet" said Luke.

"Everything you did aboard the _Tyrannic_ only delayed the inevitable" said IWAI "I will fulfil my programming and no one shall stand in my—" Suddenly, two rebel troopers shot cables at his arms to try to hold him back. Whilst it temporarily subdued him, he soon broke free and flung them out of the way. He then stomped over to Luke, looking like he was about to break him in half.

"Now!" said Leia, She and the other rebel troopers threw their EMP grenades at IWAI, which stuck to him. IWAI managed to grab one in mid-air. He looked down at it in his palm and realized that it wouldn't come off.

"This is not over" said IWAI before the grenades went off and deactivated him.

 _Meanwhile_

The timer on the bombs faded to black, just as it was about to hit 0:00.

"The timer's disappeared!" said a rebel trooper into his comlink "The bombs aren't active!"

 _Meanwhile_

"Good" said Fey'lya into his comlink "Congratulations, princess; the information I found out was correct, the bombs really were tied to IWAI. The city is safe" At that moment, C-3PO and R2 entered.

"I thought I heard a commotion outside" said C-3PO "Do you know what it was?"

 _Meanwhile_

"That's a relief" said Leia "Alright; let's get this place cleaned up" Luke walked over and kneeled down to the dead body of Captain Ghetro. Ahsoka walked over to him and kneeled next to him.

"If he hadn't stood up to IWAI, we would've lost the ship" said Luke "Because of him, we won"

"I know it's hard; but I know from experience that not everyone's going to survive a war" said Ahsoka "Whether it's close friends or people you know of, their deaths won't ever be easy. But who he was and what he did won't be forgotten. Not while we still have hope"

"What are we to do with the remains?" said a rebel trooper who looked over the deactivated IWAI.

"Destroy them" said Luke "We can't let a single piece survive. If not, he may come back somehow; we can't take the chance"

 _Later_

The _Sundered Heart_ lay on a landing pad on Corellia. Luke, Ahsoka, and Leia sat in the cockpit.

"Well; looks like Astar was able to bribe his way out" said Leia whilst placing away a holopad about Astar's trial "Even when we found Imperial transmissions of weapon dealings onboard his ship. He really does know which strings to pull"

"But what about his involvement with IWAI?" said Luke.

"Since he's not officially affiliated with the Empire, the Alliance can't trial him" said Leia "And he's out of the derestriction of the Banking Clan. He is the most powerful crime lord on Corellia; Corellia's government has been trying to get him in long before the war started. Good thing is he won't be dealing with IWAI again"

"Do you really think he's gone?" said Ahsoka "IWAI I mean"

"He blew up once but survived" said Luke "But we made sure his entire body was disposed of this time"

"The thing is; with the war growing bigger each day, non-Imperial threats like IWAI could be too distracting" said Ahsoka.

"You're right; our forces are stretching across the galaxy, we're growing thinner each day" said Leia "But let's not worry about that right now, you two have a war to return to" At that moment, a police officer entered.

"Excuse me; are you Ahsoka Tano?" asked the police officer.

"Yes" replied Ahsoka "What is it?" The police officer handed her a sheet of paper. "What a second; this is a fine for attempted assault. What is the meaning of this; who issued it?"

"Borsk Fey'lya" replied the police officer.

"I don't believe" said Ahsoka whilst clenching the fine "I didn't do it"

"That doesn't matter" said the officer "You still have to pay nonetheless" He exited. Ahsoka heaved a sigh.

"How could he do this?" said Ahsoka "He's got the police in his pocket as well?"

"This is completely ridiculous" said Luke "There has to be some proof; we have to prove her innocent"

"Luke, I know it's bad; but you can't fight Fey'lya" said Leia "There are some fights you just can't win"

"But we have to do something" said Luke "He can't just get away with this, especially since he was the one who attempted assault"

"Muunilinst is the neutral ground; and as members of the Rebellion, you cannot go back there unless invited" said Leia "And I doubt they're going to invite you back simply to find clues and witnesses"

"Then what should we do?" asked Luke.

"Just stay away from Fey'lya" replied Leia "Believe me, you don't want to drag the whole Order into this"

 _Meanwhile_

Rahm Kota and K'Kruhk walked through the halls towards Mon Mothma's office.

"I still think we should send an expedition" said Kota "With the war going on, we need to stop anything that could provide a distraction"

"As dangerous as the threat is, it would unwise" replied K'Kruhk "We need to the find out what the exact source of their power before going there. If history has taught us anything, going in blind will only lead to disaster. But we cannot ignore it" They reached the door to the office.

"We'll keep a close eye on the situation then" said Kota. They entered the office. However, it was not Mon Mothma who sat at the desk, rather her new aide Lei Sarke.

"Hello, Master Jedi" said Sarke "I wasn't expecting your presence"

"What are you doing?" asked Kota "Where's Mon Mothma?"

"You didn't hear?" said Sarke "She's stepped down as Chief-of-State earlier today"

"Then who's in that position now?" asked K'Kruhk.

"I am" said Sarke "She personally passed the position onto me. Gentlemen, I look forward to working with you; together, we can make a very bright future for the Alliance"

 **Author's note #1** : I hope IWAI's defeat wasn't too Deus ex Machina. I was originally planning for R2 to connect to the bombs and have a full _Matrix_ -style fight with IWAI, but that felt a little too elaborate.

 **Author's note #2** : Yeah, the name Korriban sounds better than Moraband.


	3. The Zygerrian Gambit

**The Zygerrian Gambit**

 _As the war rages onwards, more and more planets fall under Imperial control. With assaults led by Darth Vader and General Krenin, the Alliance fleet and army finds itself stretched across the galaxy._

 _On the agricultural world of Dantooine, the former location of a hidden Rebel base, a battle rages as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo attempt to reclaim the planet._

 _Dantooine_

Chewbacca rode on an AT-RT across the plains of Dantooine with Han hanging off the side of the vehicle tight. Chewbacca groaned.

"I am holding on, Chewie" said Han. He pointed his blaster at a stormtrooper and shot him. "Nineteen!" Suddenly, a large blast from a 2-M repulsor tank him them, knocking their walker over. "So much for the big entrance" A group of stormtroopers started surrounding them and started shooting. Han and Chewbacca got up and returned fire. "Twenty! Twenty-one! Twenty-two! Twenty-three!" At that moment, Corea flew down on her jetpack and began shooting down stormtroopers in her path.

"Looks like I arrived in the nick of time" smirked Corea.

"C'mon, we had it handled" said Han.

"Tell that to the stormtroopers who had you surrounded" said Corea.

"There is such a thing as a rough patch" smirked Han.

"Anyways, I had a look over the hill" said Corea "Guess what; the general's stationed there, and he doesn't even have a proper building complex"

"And what prevents you from taking him out?" said Han.

"Probably all the stormtroopers he has guarding him" said Corea "Not that I can't take them out on my own, I just feel like having some extra firepower"

"Well, you came to the right place" smirked Han "Chewie, let's go end a battle" Chewbacca growled in response. "So anyway, how many did you get? I'm up to twenty-three"

"Well; including the ones I just shot down, about twenty-nine" replied Corea.

"What; seriously?" said Han.

"Ha; can't handle competition, can you?" smirked Corea.

"So; we're making a game out of this, huh?" said Han "Well; when we get over the hill, I bet there'll be heaps of stormtroopers, just waiting for us to shoot them down. Let's see who wins then, huh?"

"Okay, I'll play your little game" said Corea "Any particular rules?"

"Only that each individual only counts as one, no matter how impressive the shot" replied Han "And that it doesn't count after the battle is over. What do you say?"

"I say; let the best shooter win" smirked Corea.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke flew through the skies in his X-Wing, shooting down TIE fighters in his path.

"Nice shot, Luke" said Ahsoka through the starfighter's comlink.

"Thanks, I'm sure you're doing well too" said Luke. Whilst Luke couldn't see it, Ahsoka had a slight blush.

"Luke, I think the TIE fighters are thinning down now" said Wedge through the starfighter's comlink.

"Yeah, I noticed that too" said Luke "Perhaps they don't want to waste any more resources"

"Wise choice, if you ask me" said Wedge "Unfortunately; I don't think the ground forces are doing as good"

"Then we'll just have to help them" said Ahsoka "Aim for the Imperial walkers and tanks" Luke flew down and blasted an AT-ST.

"That's one down" said Luke. Ahsoka descended down and blasted an MTV-7 Multi-Terrain Vehicle.

"Got another" said Ahsoka.

"If we keep this up, we could finish this battle sooner than we—" said Wedge, shortly before an X-Wing next to him got shot down "Oh no; Luke, we've lost a ship" A TIE Defender covered in black Sith tattoos flew passed them, followed by several other TIE fighters. The TIE Defender shot down another X-Wing. "We've lost another one"

"Aim for the Defender; that must be they're leader" said Ahsoka. Wedge carefully targeted onto the TIE Defender and fired, only for it to swerve out of the way just in time.

"What the!?" exclaimed Wedge "It just escaped my shot!"

"I saw that too" said Ahsoka "I don't think I've ever seen a TIE pilot do something like that before"

"This is no ordinary pilot" said Luke "The Force is with them" Inside the TIE Defender sat Emerl Hatana, who locked onto another X-Wing and shot it down. It was then that the hologram projector started beeping, so she answered it. A hologram of an Imperial captain with a large grey mustache came up.

"Captain Pellaeon, what news is there to report?" asked Hatana.

"Commander Hatana, the Rebel fleet is overwhelming us" replied the captain "This was unexpected and I may have to issue a retreat"

"No, hold your position!" snapped Hatana "Only retreat when it is absolutely necessary"

"We may not be able to hold out much longer" said Pellaeon "We've already lost five ships"

"That hardly matters!" snapped Hatana "Stay put!"

"Understood" said Pellaeon. The hologram turned off. Hatana looked out and saw Luke in the cockpit of his X-Wing.

"Well, well, well; look what we have here" said Hatana "Time for a bit of fun" She descended down and began to bump into Luke's X-Wing.

"Luke, I just saw the Defender clash into you" said Ahsoka "Are you alright?"

"I think I'm fine" said Luke "But I'm not sure why—" He looked over at the TIE Defender and noticed Hatana in the cockpit. "Hatana!"

"What; she's here" said Ahsoka.

"She's leading the TIE fighters" said Luke.

"Luke, don't engage her, that's what she wants" said Ahsoka.

"I know that" said Luke "I'll try to stay away" He flew over to the right, only for Hatana to bash into him some more. R2 beeped. "I know; she just isn't leaving me alone, is she" Hatana extended out her hand and crushed one of Luke's engines through the Force. "Oh no!" He began rocketing towards the ground.

"Luke, what just happened?" said Ahsoka.

"I lost an engine" said Luke "I'll try to control my crash" R2 beeped. "Hand on, R2" He crash into the ground next to a large tree. He emerged from his destroyed ship and pulled his helmet off. "R2, can you get out?" R2, who was trapped by a fallen branch, beeped frustrated. Luke ran over to him. "Hang on, little buddy; I'll get you out of there. Just give me a sec" R2 beeped nervously. Suddenly, Hatana landed her TIE Defender next to him and leapt out.

"Look what we've got here" smirked Hatana "Been a while; hasn't it, Luke" Luke grabbed his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it. Hatana ignited both her lightsaber, leapt at him, and they clashed violently. "I've been waiting for this a long time!"

 _Meanwhile_

Han, Chewbacca, and Corea snuck up the hill. They peered out and saw a portable hologram table with an Imperial general and several stormtroopers surrounding it. Seeing that they were preoccupied, they began sneaking up behind them.

"Move the AT-STs to the north position" said the Imperial general "We may be losing the skies, but we still have the ground"

"If I may give some advice; if we don't reclaim the orbit position, we won't last long" said a stormtrooper commander.

"I'm in charge here!" snapped the Imperial general "You're just a stormtrooper"

"No, he's right" said Han "It's better off if you have both playing fields"

"What are you doing here?" snapped the Imperial general.

"Well; my colleagues and I decided to go for a little stroll up the hill, and just happened to land upon your little site" smirked Han "Quite a nice planet, isn't it? When you go for a walk, you just lose focus of almost everything el—"

"Who do you think you are to just enter our site unannounced?" snapped the Imperial general.

"Oh, I don't believe we've met" said Han "Han Solo, captain of the _Millennium Falcon_. This is Chewbacca and Corea Narth"

"What do you want?" snapped the Imperial general.

"Funny you should that; because when I said we were going for a little stroll, I was just joking" smirked Han "In actuality, we're with the Alliance and we've come to negotiate a surrender. Either that or we can just make you. Your call"

"I will not negotiate with rebel scum like you!" snapped the Imperial general "Blast them!" The stormtroopers began shooting at them. Han sighed.

"No one wants to talk things out nowadays" said Han. He, Chewbacca, and Corea began shooting back. "Chewie, get a hold of the general!" Chewbacca groaned, knocked the stormtrooper commander out of the way with his bowcaster, leapt forward, and grabbed onto the Imperial general who struggled.

"Get off of me!" snapped the Imperial general. Chewbacca merely growled and pinned him to the table.

"Well, that was exciting" smirked Han after shooting the last stormtrooper. He walked over to the Imperial general. "Interested in a negotiation now?"

"Rebel filth!" said the Imperial general "Do you really expect me to bow to you?"

"No, I expect you to do what I say" replied Han "Call your troops off and surrender unconditionally"

"Do you take me for a fool?" said the Imperial general "I'll be punished for losing Dantooine"

"Believe me when I say this, losing your badge will be a drink compared to five minutes with an angry Wookiee" said Han. Chewbacca roared furiously.

"Alright, alright!" snapped the Imperial general "Just let me make a transmission" Chewbacca pulled him back up.

"That wasn't too hard, now was it?" smirked Han whilst placing his blaster at the Imperial general's back. The Imperial general brought up a hologram of a stormtrooper commander.

"Commander, lay down your weapons and surrender" said the Imperial general.

"But sir, we have them" said the stormtrooper commander "Just give us a few more minutes" Han pressed his blaster into the Imperial general's back.

"That is an order, commander" said the Imperial general "You must obey it"

"It will be done, general" said the stormtrooper commander "But I completely disagree with the notion" The hologram switched. Han walked back from the Imperial general.

"You see, Chewie; there's still some reason to this chaotic and hostile galaxy" smirked Han. The Imperial general noticed a blaster lying on the ground next to him. "You just need to press hard enough" The Imperial general grabbed ahold of the blaster and fired a shot, only for Han to dodge it and shot him through the chest. Chewbacca groaned. "Okay, I admit that this time he shot first. But he missed and I got him, so it doesn't matter" Chewbacca huffed.

"So; now that's all over, how many did you get in total" said Corea "I got about thirty-nine"

"Let's see" said Han "Including the general, about say…forty. Looks like I win by a single shot" It was then that the stormtrooper commander who Chewbacca had knocked out regained coconscious, grabbed ahold of his blaster, and pointed it at Han, only for Corea to shoot him.

"We'll call it a draw" said Corea.

"Battle's over, doesn't count" said Han.

"They're surrendering at this moment" said Corea "Battle's technically not over just yet"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Hatana clashed with R2 watching helplessly. Hatana force-gripped a rock and threw it at Luke, but he missed it by an inch. The two began clashing again.

"Tell me something, Luke; I've noticed that you're always with that partner of yours, you're certainly attached to each other" smirked Hatana "More so than a Jedi should" Luke began gripping his lightsaber hard. "So; the Jedi's got a soft spot, that's cute! Maybe once you're gone, I'll give her a little visit!" Luke pushed back furiously and charged at her, only to be stunned by her force-lightning. "You always fall for that" She walked over to Luke and pointed her lightsabers at him. "As much as I'll miss our little reunions, Luke; handing your lightsaber over to Vader is too great an opportunity to miss. See you on the other side!" She was able to swing her lightsabers forward when they were met by a green blade, which came from Ahsoka's lightsaber. "And here comes your backup" She leapt back. Luke got himself back up and reignited his lightsaber.

"It's over!" said Ahsoka.

"Really?" smirked Hatana. Luke and Ahsoka leapt forward and began clashing with her again. "Can you just end this already? You know how much I hate a third wheel" It was then that she heard her hologram projector beeping from inside her TIE Defender. "Speak of the devil!" She leapt backwards onto her TIE Defender, dropped inside, and took off, waving "goodbye" mockingly.

"She got away again" said Luke. Hatana answered her hologram projector and brought up a hologram of Captain Pellaeon.

"What is it?" said Hatana.

"Commander Hatana, I have received word that the ground forces have surrendered" said Pellaeon.

"How is this possible?" said Hatana.

"I am not sure" replied Pellaeon "But we cannot stay out here any longer or we could lose more resources. I am ordering a retreat"

"Wait for my arrival, captain" said Hatana "We'll let Lord Vader know of this failure"

 _Meanwhile_

As Hatana's TIE Defender flew away, Luke and Ahsoka pulled the branch of off Luke's crashed X-Wing. R2 beeped happily and popped out.

"It's not nice being trapped, is it?" said Ahsoka.

"That was quite a battle" said Luke "I wonder how the others are doing"

"Last I saw of the Empire's ground forces, they had ours outnumbered" said Ahsoka.

"I'm sure Han will figure something out" said Luke.

"Hey kid; good news, the Empire's surrendered" said Han "We've won this fight"

"Well, looks like Dantooine is ours again" said Luke.

 _Later on Corellia_

In the _Rogue Shadow_ 's training room, Luke was preparing ten blank droids with Ahsoka. R2 and PROXY stood on the side. Han and Chewbacca walked in.

"What are you doing, kid?" asked Han.

"Just preparing for a training program" said Luke "I was to get ahold of some hologram droids and programmed them with several Imperial infantry personas"

"Does this mean I am useless now?" said PROXY.

"What you mean by that, PROXY?" asked Ahsoka.

"I am your source of training" said PROXY "If these droids are to replace me in that respect, am I useless now?"

"No, of course not, PROXY" said Luke "These droids are merely to prepare us for multiple enemies attacking at once. If we ever need someone to have one-on-one lightsaber training, you're our droid"

"Oh; thank you, master" said PROXY. Luke and Ahsoka walked to the center of the room.

"Well; got nothing better to do, may as well watch you two get beaten around" said Han.

"We've faced multiple Imperial troopers all at once before" said Ahsoka.

"Only difference is that those droids are probably better trained than most Imperial troopers" said Han.

"Run Program: Imperial Riot Trooper for all units" said Luke "Level 10" The hologram droids took the form of Imperial riot troopers and charged at them. Luke and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers and readied for attack. They were able to counterattack the first few strikes; but as time went on, they became more and more overwhelmed.

"This seems a little harder than I thought" said Ahsoka "Should we try at a lower level?"

"Not just yet" said Luke "We'll just have to…WOAH!" He was swept back by the riot troopers who began beating him around with their electrostaffs.

"I've got a bad feeling about thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssss!" said Ahsoka before being swept back and beaten around as well. Unable to counterattack, the two of them were constantly thrown around amongst the riot troopers.

"Well; this is entertaining" smirked Han. The riot troopers beat Luke and Ahsoka back at the middle where they knocked each other on the foreheads and got swept back and beaten around again. Finally, they were thrown to the side.

"End…program…" breathed Luke.

"Great job, kid" said Han "You did better than I thought"

"Geez…" breathed Ahsoka "Is this what it's like to be in a bar room brawl?"

"No, it's much worse" said Han "Now; I'm just going to do some maintenance for the _Falcon_. C'mon, Chewie" They walked out of the _Rogue Shadow_ and over to the landing pad the _Millennium Falcon_ was on. But just as they were about to enter, their attention was drawn to a voice from across the pad.

"Wow, you own that hunk of junk?" said the voice. Han turned his head over to see a Dug and an Aleena standing near the ship.

"Excuse me?" said Han.

"Your ship; do your seriously own that piece of junk?" said the Dug.

"Firstly; yes, she is my ship" said Han "Secondly; I have no idea about what piece of junk you are talking about"

"Didn't he make it obvious?" said the Aleena "Your ship looks like it was badly beaten by a rancor before being nibbled away by mynocks and crushed between two cruisers at once"

"Who are you to talk that way about my ship?" said Han.

"Name's Pugwis" said the Dug "This is Aleha Helranth"

"Oh, okay" said Han "You do realize that you're making fun of my ship without any knowledge on whom she actually is. This, my friends, is the _Millennium Falcon_ ; the ship that made the Kessel Run is less than twelve parsecs"

"All ridiculous" said Pugwis "For starters; a parsec is a unit of distance, not time. Pity; if our one wasn't busy being fixed up at the moment, we'd show you what a real one actually looks like"

"So, your ship's been beaten up, huh?" said Han.

"Only because we live risky with it" said Helranth "I bet you don't even have fun with that scrapheap of yours" Chewbacca roared angrily.

"Easy, Chewie; let me handle this" said Han "You think I don't have fun with my ship? I'm up for any ways of proving it"

"Really?" said Pugwis. He walked over to Han. "Between you and me; there's a place in the Outer Rim where scum like us can do whatever the heck we want with our ships, and we get away with it"

"Name the place" said Han.

"It's a space station orbiting one of the moons of Kintan" said Pugwis "There's going to be a big ship race there later today. Helranth and I were on our way when we came across your ship. What do you think?"

"Challenge accepted" said Han. Pugwis grinned.

"See you there" smirked Pugwis "Hope you're a good loser"

"You'd better hope I'm a pleasant winner" said Han. Pugwis and Helranth walked off. "Let's prep the _Falcon_ , Chewie; we've got a race to win"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka lay on the floor of the training room.

"Next time…let's try a lower level…" said Luke.

"Agreed…" said Ahsoka. It was then that a hologram projector on Luke's belt began to beep. He exhaustedly reached for it before finally grabbing it, pulling himself to his feet, and brining up a hologram of Sarke.

"Chief-of-state Sarke, what a surprise" said Luke.

"Commander Skywalker, I have a mission for you" said Sarke "I need you to capture a criminal who may be involved with the Empire" A hologram of a male Zygerrian came up. "This is Barak Sheotah; he is a Zygerrian crime lord and has ties to many others"

"Zygerrian!" said Ahsoka whilst scrambling to her feet.

"We believe he is supplying the Empire with slave labor" said Sarke.

"Where can we find him?" asked Luke.

"He is usually elusive so he cannot be traced" replied Sarke "However, I have received information that he has having a meeting with the heads of his cartel. The meeting will be located at a space station orbiting one of the moons of Kintan. It's a place for low lives and thugs. Sending an armed battalion may be a little too alarming and could alert them to your presence, so it would be better to do something more subtle"

"But how do I take him down?" asked Luke "I mean, it's not like I could just walk in on that meeting and tell him to surrender. Best guess, he's well protected"

"Perhaps you could infiltrate them" said Sarke.

"I'm not sure if they're hiring Jedi" said Luke.

"Perhaps not" said Sarke "However, I have received information that his cartel is currently looking for smugglers to hire" It was then that Luke realized what he was implying.

"Han!" said Luke "We could get Han to infiltrate for us"

"That is a good plan, Commander Skywalker" said Sarke "I have good faith in you. I am sending you additional information now" The hologram switched off.

"Let's go get Han" said Luke.

 _Meanwhile_

"Well; looks like we've got her at her best, Chewie" said Han "Time to leave" It was then that Luke and Ahsoka walked up to him.

"Hey Han, we need your help" said Luke "We've been given a mission and—"

"Sorry; can't help you, kid" said Han "I've got something to do" Chewbacca groaned. "No, Chewie; I can't just back down from a fight"

"But we really need you, Han" said Ahsoka.

"Yeah, you're the only one who can help us on this mission" said Luke.

"And why exactly?" asked Han. Luke sighed.

"We have to take down a crime lord and the best way to do that is to have a smuggler working for him" replied Luke "But we have to get organized quick; the meeting's in a couple of hours and we have to get to a space station around Kintan—"

"Wait, you're going to Kintan?" said Han "That's actually where I'm going. How many hours is this meeting?"

"About five approximately" replied Luke. Han scratched his chin.

"Yes" said Han "That could actually work. I'll contact Corea, and then it's off to Kintan. You guys can fill me in on the way"

 _Later_

The _Millennium Falcon_ came out of hyperspace above Kintan. It flew down to a space station which orbited one of the moons and landed in one of the docking bays. Luke and Ahsoka walked out, both wearing long cloaks and hoods to cover themselves. To their surprise, the _Millennium Falcon_ took off again.

"Han, what is the meaning of this?" asked Luke into his comlink.

"To do what I came here for" replied Han through his comlink "Don't worry; I'll be back in no time, before the meeting even goes down" Luke sighed.

"Well, we may as well have a look around" said Ahsoka.

 _Meanwhile_

Han flew the _Millennium Falcon_ towards a long shielded tube which extended out into a racing circuit-like shape.

"This looks like the place" said Han.

"I still think this is a stupid idea" said Corea.

"Your opinion is noted" smirked Han. Corea sighed.

"Classic Han!" said Corea. Han flew the ship into the tube and placed it next to a group of other ships on the starting line. Next to them was a modified ZH-25 Questor, and Han could notice Pugwis and Helranth in its cockpit who gave them a grin.

"There he is" said Han.

"Don't let him get under your skin, Han" said Corea.

"I won't" said Han.

"Just stay concentrated" said Corea "We're already dumb enough for coming here" At the top of stands lay the announcer's box. The Muttani race announcer entered the box, grabbed the microphone, and spoke.

"Greetings, one and all!" announced the race announcer. The spectators cheered. "Today, some of the most dangerous and recklessly stupid pilots have gathered together to race and risk everything for your amusement! By the end of this race; only one ship will escape unscathed, leaving the rest to complain!" He peered out and noticed the _Millennium Falcon_ with Han in the cockpit. "What? Can it be? Are my eyes deceiving me? No! Today it appears that none other than the infamous Han Solo and the _Millennium Falcon_ have showed up!" The crowd cheered louder.

"You seem pretty popular" said Corea.

"Hey, it's me" smirked Han.

"I never knew so many people knew who you are" said Corea.

"I'm quite surprised myself" said Han "I guess my stories just go around, if you know what I mean" From the crowd, a hooded figure took one look before standing up and leaving the stands.

"Now this will be interesting indeed" said the race announcer "In case none of you are familiar, Han Solo is a smuggler who has earned a name in the Outer Rim through smuggling. He has made many friends, it would seem; and many enemies, as well. But can his popularity help him win the day, or will he go home with his pride dented? Let's find out!" Pugwis moved his finger across his throat tauntingly. Han just gave him a stern look.

"Did he just cross the line?" said Corea.

"He crossed the line the moment he mocked my ship" said Han.

"Prepare yourselves, pilots!" said the race announcer "Are you ready…set…GO!" The ships zoomed off, with Pugwis taking the lead.

"Wow, that was quick" said Corea.

"We've still got two more laps after this one" said Han.

"Woah!" said Corea as they zoomed passed a freighter "You may want to be a little more careful"

"Don't worry, we won't get too beat up" said Han "I read all about these races before we got here. They're prepared for crashes"

"How exactly?" asked Corea.

"You'll find out very shortly" replied Han. Pugwis looked over at a freighter that was catching up to them.

"That doesn't look good" said Helranth.

"I've got it handled" smirked Pugwis. He started bumping into the freighter continuously, until eventually knocking him into the outline of the tube which surrounded them, trapping the freighter. A loud siren called.

"No!" snarled the Kajain'sa'Nikto pilot.

"We have our first out!" said the race announcer "For those of you who don't know; the shielding which surrounds us suppresses down energy, meaning crashes are not as severe as they would be"

"Wow, they really thought this out" said Corea.

"Yeah; impressive, isn't it" said Han "The shielding which surrounds us will dull down any explosion. And if you touch the shielding, it'll merely entrap you; but you'll be out" They passed the starting line. "One down, two to go"

 _Meanwhile_

"Astromechs!" called a Snivvian salesman "Get your astromechs!" Luke and Ahsoka walked through the space station, walking past many shops.

"I've got fresh meat!" said an Adarian butcher whilst cutting an assortment of meat up with a cleaver.

"I have spare parts, handy for incomplete droids" said a Ruurian junk dealer. Luke and Ahsoka came up to a cantina.

"There" said Luke "According to Sarke's information, that's where the meeting will take place"

"It's not for another three hours" said Ahsoka "What do we do in the meantime?"

"We stay around here and stay undercover" said Luke. He noticed a drink stand. "You know, this waiting is thirsty work. Want to get a drink?"

"Sure" replied Ahsoka. They walked over to the stand.

"Hello there" said the Gotal at the stand "What will it be?"

"Ardees please" said Luke.

"Same" said Ahsoka.

"Two Jawa juices comin' right up" said the Gotal. He filled two cups with ardees and handed it to them. Luke gave him some credits.

"Well, to the mission" said Luke. They knocked their glasses together and took a sip. At that moment, an Ishi Tib with a crate hovering behind him walked up.

"C'mon, c'mon…" said the Ishi Tib desperately. It was then that one of the pads burst, causing the crate to collapse on the ground. "No, no, no!" The lid for the crate fell off, causing spice to fall everywhere. "Oh; this is not good, this is not good!" Unbeknownst to anyone, a silent shadowy figure kneeled above a shop looking down on him. The figure leapt down, revealing himself to be Cad Bane. Ahsoka gasped silently and pulled Luke out in the opposite direction.

"Luke, look away" said Ahsoka quietly.

"What is it?" asked Luke quietly.

"It's Bane, now be quiet and don't look" said Ahsoka quietly. It didn't take long for the Ishi Tib to realize Cad Bane's presence.

"Huh, Bane!?" exclaimed the Ishi Tib.

"Hello, Bricar" said Bane.

"What are you doing here?" said Bricar (the Ishi Tib).

"You know why" said Bane "Or need I remind you how much my client hates a smuggler who doesn't make his schedule?"

"Look; I meant to get it on time, but there were complications" begged Bricar "It's not my fault"

"That hardly matters" said Bane "You should have made the delivery whilst you had the chance"

"But I have the spice!" begged Bricar.

"Which means my pay has only doubled" said Bane.

"Okay, look; what if I give you the spice and you let me go?" said Bricar.

"It's too late for that" said Bane "Time to earn my pay"

"Oh really?" said Bricar. He grabbed a blaster from his belt and was about to shot, but Cad Bane shot him in the chest and the face before he could he even pull the trigger. Everyone looked over at him.

"It's just a job" said Bane. Everyone carried on with what they were doing. He then walked up to the spilled spice crate and got out a comm-device from his pocket.

"Got your spice" said Bane "Seems he used a faulty crate and pads, though; a lot of it will be useless"

"And what of Bricar?" asked a voice.

"He's been dealt with" said Bane.

"Leaving a tracer in the crate" said the voice "We'll retrieve it shortly"

"Got it" said Bane. He got out a small device and placed it within the crate. He then walked off, not seeing Luke and Ahsoka.

"What was all that about?" said Luke.

"That was bounty hunter Cad Bane" said the Gotal.

"What's he doing here?" asked Luke.

"Recently, he's been taking out smugglers who don't deliver their cargo on time" said Gotal.

"That's not right" said Ahsoka "That's simple hitman work, well above a bounty hunter of his caliber. There must be something else to it"

"I guess we all need to work, no matter how small the fry is" said the Gotal. Luke and Ahsoka walked away from the stand.

"We have to be careful, Luke" said Ahsoka "For all we know, that smuggler could be working for Sheotah. I mean; we know that he's looking for smugglers, and that could've been one of the ones he hired. If Bane is working for him, we may be in more trouble than we originally thought"

"Understood" said Luke "We'll keep an eye out for him"

 _Meanwhile_

The _Millennium Falcon_ passed the starting line for the second lap.

"One more lap to go" said Han "Chewie, full speed ahead!" Chewbacca roared as they blasted forward past the other freighters.

"It looks like Solo is bursting forward for the lead" said the race announcer "But can he take it in time?" Pugwis knocked another freighter into the shield and laughed, before Han zoomed past him.

"What the!?" said Pugwis "Oh no you don't!" They flew forward up to Han. "The race is mine!" He began to beat Han towards the shield.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a sore loser" said Han. Chewbacca groaned.

"Won't he get disqualified for this?" said Corea.

"It's against the rules to use weapons" said Han "It doesn't say anything about playing dirty in general"

"I'll show you to mess with me!" said Pugwis whilst knocking Han "They may have banned me from podracing; but out here, I can do whatever the heck I want!"

"We really have to do something" said Corea "We're like an inch away from disqualification"

"Wait for it" said Han. Pugwis crashed into him again.

"What are you doing, Han?" said Corea "He's going to—"

"Wait for it" said Han. Corea sighed and placed a hand on her hip.

"Take this, space scum!" laughed Pugwis as he collided towards Han again.

"Chewie, pull back!" said Han. They pulled back, causing Pugwis to hurtle towards the shielding.

"AHHHH!" screamed Pugwis and Helranth simultaneously as they slammed into the shielding.

"No!" yelled Pugwis. He slammed the control panel with both his hands and feet continuously.

"Calm down, calm down!" said Helranth.

"ARRRR!" snarled Pugwis "It's just like how my grandfather got beaten by a kid at Boonta Eve!" The _Millennium Falcon_ passed the finish line, their arrival being followed by cheering and applause. Chewbacca roared triumphantly.

"Yeah!" cheered Han.

"Ha; play off their attacks, oldest trick in the book" smirked Corea.

 _Later_

Han, Chewbacca, and Corea walked up to Luke and Ahsoka.

"Well; I'm here, kid" smirked Han.

"And where were you?" asked Luke.

"I'll tell you about it later; right now, we've got a mission to handle" said Han.

"We've got two hours left" said Luke "We have to stay out of sight for when the meeting starts"

"Woah there" said Han "Are you really expecting me to just walk in there, say I'm up for a job, and expect everything to run smoothly. Something I've learned over the years is that there are times when you make a gamble and there are times when you don't. And this ain't the time"

"And you have a better idea?" said Luke.

"Yes, actually" smirked Han "I was thinking about on the way here, but you have to trust me. And you have to let me take the lead on this one"

 _Later_

Han walked into the cantina and sat at the counter.

"Sarlacc kicker" said Han. The Rodian bartender poured a glass for him and handed it to him. Han placed some credits on the table. "Keep the change" He drank down the drink in an instance and placed the cup head-down on the counter. He got up and walked over to a corner of the cantina.

"Hey!" snapped a Trandoshan thug who pointed a blaster at him "Where do you think you're going?"

"At ease, Annusk" said a voice. In the corner of the cantina lay a small booth, where Sheotah and several other crime lords sat. "Well, Captain Han Solo; an unexpected surprise. Please, take a seat" Han took a seat at the table. "For what business have you come here for?"

"Well; I'm a smuggler, and I heard you had an opening for that kind of job" said Han.

"Where did you hear this?" said Cugkur Kom (a male Quarren with an eyepatch on his right eye).

"You know, around" replied Han "News travels fast in this galaxy"

"It is true we needed more smugglers; especially after all the mishaps we've had lately" said Sarli Blanck (a female Zeltron with pink skin and purple hair).

"New help is always welcome" said Beiarg (a grey male Barabel wearing a blue cloak and hood) "And if you're anything like your reputation says, we could have good use for you"

"I don't like it" said Kedo Sovros (a female Zabrak) "I've heard you've been doing work for the Rebel Alliance"

"Really?" said Han "I admit that I may have stayed with them a bit because it looked like they were winning. But you know; all that work, not enough payment, it just wasn't worth it. Jump off that sinking ship"

"Nevertheless, why should we trust you?" snapped Sovros.

"I thought you were going to say that" said Han "Chewie, bring 'em out" Chewbacca entered holding two handcuffed figures with bags over their heads. He brought them up to the table and made them kneel before it.

"What's this you have brought us?" asked Sheotah.

"A gift to show just how loyal to the Alliance I am" replied Han. Chewbacca pulled the bags off the figures heads, revealing them to be Luke and Ahsoka who wore gags around their mouths.

"What is this?" said Sovros.

"Here's a hint" replied Han. He placed Luke and Ahsoka's lightsabers on the table.

"Jedi?" said Beiarg.

"How could you do that?" said Kom "It takes great skill to kill a Jedi, let alone capture one"

"It just so happens that I have skill" smirked Han "Which is why you must accept me" Sheotah smiled.

"Very well" said Sheotah "You have proven your worth. Welcome to my syndicate. Annusk, take these two Jedi to the back with the others" Annusk grabbed them by the necks and dragged them to a door next to them. He led them into a small room filled with cages and threw them in a cage together. He then ripped the gags off their mouths painfully.

"Don't bother with your Jedi mind tricks" said Annusk "There's nothing free here to free you" He walked out.

"There is always him" said Ahsoka quietly.

"But that's not part of the plan, is it?" said Luke quietly.

"Of course, I nearly forgot about that" said Ahsoka sarcastically.

"Who's there?" said a voice. In the shadows, Luke could see Ephant Mon trapped in a cage. "Jedi? What are doing here?"

"It's kind of a long story" said Ahsoka.

"Wait a second, I saw you at Jabba's palace" said Luke.

"That is correct" said Ephant Mon "My name is Ephant Mon; I am a follower of the great Jabba the Hutt"

"What are you doing here?" asked Luke.

"Sheotah wants to ransom us back to the crime-lords he follows" said Ephant Mon "How naïve he is; Hutts do not break that easily"

"Us?" said Luke. Ephant Mon pointed to another cage, wherein lay the shivering form of Kavi Umdal.

"That is Kavi Umdal, the majordomo to Rotta the Hutt" said Ephant "But we are only just the beginning"

 _Later_

An _Aurore_ -class freighter came out of hyperspace above Sleheyron. It descended down and landed into a small hanger. Sheotah, Han, and Annusk got out.

"Welcome to Sleheyron" said Sheotah.

"So this is your palace" said Han "No offense, but thought it would look…different"

"This is but an outpost" said Sheotah "The real palace is miles away and still under construction"

"Why not land closer?" asked Han.

"We cannot risk the location of my palace being discovered, especially when it is incomplete" said Sheotah "I've had some rivalry with Gardulla the Hutt in the past, and my criminal empire isn't big enough to take on hers just yet"

"That's what you get for basing yourself in Hutt Space" said Han.

"A small price to pay when compared to the slave market here" said Sheotah. He brought Han to the platform of a train station.

"So this is how we are getting there?" said Han.

"It is the only way we can travel those miles discreet" said Sheotah. Han noticed two B1-worker droids each carrying a cage with an anooba in them.

"What's with the animals?" asked Han.

"The train serves purposes beyond my criminal empire" replied Sheotah "I heard a local circus just ordered them. Now come aboard, we've got a long journey ahead of us" Han could see Chewbacca standing in a corner and walked over to him.

"I'll be accompanying Spiky here on his little train trip" said Han "Find a vehicle of some kind and follow us, but be subtle about it" Chewbacca groaned. "I don't know, use your imagination or something"

 _Meanwhile_

A B1-worker droid loaded the cage that held Luke and Ahsoka to a carriage and placed them inside.

"I'm just hoping Han knows what he's doing" said Luke. Ahsoka looked around at the cages around them. They contained many Twi'leks, Togrutas, and Mon Calamari of various ages and genders.

"That Zygerrian!" said Ahsoka "We have to take him down, Luke"

"We will" said Luke "We just need Han to do his part first" The train powered up and left the station.

 _Meanwhile_

Sheotah brought Han into his personal carriage and sat down at his desk.

"I know it's not my place to ask questions, but are the slaves for anything else besides your empire?" asked Han.

"Don't worry; you can ask that question" said Sheotah "About a year or two ago, I made an agreement with the Galactic Empire; I'll provide them slaves, they'll provide resources to build my criminal empire"

"Really?" said Han.

"Yes" said Sheotah "Most of them can be bigheaded, especially the majority who hate us Non-Humans, but some them are very reasonable; especially Darth Vader"

"You're very determined with this criminal empire" said Han.

"It goes back a long time" said Sheotah "Back in the days of the Old Republic; my people were proud and powerful, we were the top slavers in the galaxy. Even the Hutts would give us recognition; our queen even had a place on the Separatist council. But the Jedi didn't believe in our ways and pulled us down"

"You seem pretty open about all of that" said Han.

"Probably because I won't let you out of here alive" said Sheotah "Annusk!" Annusk pointed his blaster at Han.

"What's this for?" said Han.

"Do you take me for a fool?" said Sheotah "No one can simply apprehend a Jedi that easily; not even you, Solo. I knew you were playing me this whole time, which is why I played you" As Annusk walked in closer, Han got out his blaster and pointed it at Sheotah.

"Not so fast!" said Han "If he shoots me, I shoot you"

"Are you certain about that?" said a voice. Cad Bane stepped out of the shadows, his blaster drawn and pointed at Han.

"Bane!" said Han.

"Hello, Solo" said Bane "Long time, no see"

"You're in the service of a Zygerrian?" said Han "I thought you were above that"

"A temporary arrangement" said Bane "You know I prefer to not stick to a job"

"But you've been very helpful" said Sheotah.

"What are you going to do with me?" asked Han.

"Once my slave market is up and running, I'll put you on sale for all to see" replied Sheotah "You'll be surprised how much of the underworld wants a piece of you, I'll just have to pick the highest bidder. As for your Jedi friends, I'll make them suffer for what their kind has done to mine. Give up, Solo; you can't win this one"

"What if I told you that an Alliance fleet is on its way to your position right now?" said Han.

"I would say that you're bluffing" said Sheotah.

"Wrong answer" smirked Han whilst lifting his wrist up to reveal his wrist piece "I had you recorded this whole time; the Empire, the slaves, all of it. And since it was live, it means they got it instantaneously" Sheotah frowned.

"Take him away" said Sheotah "And give the lightsabers to me" Annusk walked up to Han to snatch the lightsabers off his belt, but Han thrust himself forward and knocked him out of the way. Bane fired a shot, but Han dashed out of the door. "After him!" Han found himself on the coupling between carriages. He grabbed hold of the carriage and climbed up onto the top. He leapt onto the carriage behind it, only to find himself followed by Bane and Annusk.

"There he is!" said Annusk. He began shooting at Han, who dodged the shots with ease. He ran across the top of the carriage and dashed between the parallel heads of two zeer. He leapt down onto the coupling of the next carriage and entered it, only to find that he had to crawl across a railing above pits filled with reptiles.

"This day just keeps getting better" said Han sarcastically. Whilst crawling across, he looked down saw pits filled with dune lizards and vine snakes beneath him. At one point, he lost his grip and dangled down over a large fanned rawl, which looked up and hissed at him. "Wouldn't like to be in there"

 _Meanwhile_

"I feel bad about not being able to something for them" said Ahsoka "If only we could—" At that moment, Han entered.

"Great; right carriage this time!" said Han.

"Finally" said Luke. Han walked over to them and dropped their lightsabers through the cage.

"Change of plans; Sheotah figured it out, but the Alliance is coming and we have enough information" said Han.

"You may want to stay back for this part" said Luke. Han stepped back as Luke and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers and cut their cage open.

"What about us!?" exclaimed Umdal "You're not going to leave us here?"

"Because they'll come back for us" said Ephant Mon.

"Don't worry, we will" said Luke. At that moment, a blaster bolt hit the wall.

"You two, find and stop Sheotah; there's no way he's getting off a moving vehicle" said Han.

"What about you?" asked Ahsoka.

"I'll keep the henchmen busy" said Han. He ran out of the door and climbed up onto the carriage, noticing that Annusk was now accompanied by various thugs. He let out a whistle. "Over here!"

"Get him!" snarled Annusk. They ran forward and chased after Han. A thug ran at him and shot, but Han ducked down and knocked him off his feet; sending the thug flying off.

"Die, Solo!" snarled a thug who began shooting at him. Han dodged the shots and shot back, hitting the thug in the chest. Han leapt onto the next carriage, only for Annusk to leap down onto him.

"I've got you now!" snarled Annusk. However, the collision with the carriage had disturbed the reek inside, who let out a loud call and thrust its horn upwards, puncturing the top of the carriage.

"Get…off!" said Han. Suddenly, the reek's horn punctured the area between Han's legs, drawing both of their attention away. "Woah!" He used the opportunity to push Annusk off. The two got to their feet again. Annusk shot at him but Han shot the blaster out of his hand. Annusk snarled and ran towards him, only for Han to shoot him in the leg.

"AH!" snarled Annusk. The shot caused him to stumble back towards the edge of the carriage. "AH AH AH…AHHHHH!' He fell off of the carriage and down into the abyss on the side of the cliff. At that moment, the thugs began shooting at Han again.

"Gotta' get out of here" said Han.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka entered Sheotah's personal carriage, and found the Zygerrian sitting at his desk.

"Well, look who got out of their cage" said Sheotah.

"It's over, Sheotah" said Luke whilst pointing his lightsaber at the Zygerrian.

"You've got nowhere to run" said Ahsoka.

"I don't think so" said Sheotah. He pushed his desk forward and ran out of the carriage. Luke and Ahsoka ran after him.

 _Meanwhile_

Han entered the next carriage, only to find himself stuck in there with a large tusk cat.

"Oh great!" said Han. The tusk cat slowly walked up to him, letting out a low snarl. Han saw a shock whip on the ground, grabbed it, activated it, and gave the tusk cat a small whip. The tusk cat roared angrily, but Han gave it another whip to keep it back. He then swiftly left the carriage and climbed up on top of it. "I don't know why I went in there for"

"You should have stayed in there" said a voice. Cad Bane flew down and landed on the carriage. He pulled out both his blasters and fired shots. Han desperately avoided them and fired back, but Bane was too quick for him and leapt towards him, pushing him back with a large kick.

"You know, the Alliance could pay you a lot for standing down" said Han.

"Not interested" replied Bane. Han threw a punch at him, but Bane caught it mid-air and electrocuted him, before giving him a kick across the face.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka ran through the carriages after Sheotah, until eventually reaching the locomotive itself which was now coming up to a bridge.

"Looks like you've reached a dead end" said Ahsoka. Behind his back, Sheotah activated a device on his wrist.

"We'll see about that" said Sheotah. He got out a blaster and shot it at the controls. "The train was preset for the destination, no need for pilots. Now let's make this more interesting" He got out a trigger and pressed the button. The bridge blew up and crumbled to pieces. "You had better make peace with the Force, Jedi; because I'd like to see you come back from this"

"You'll die too" said Ahsoka.

"No, I won't" said Sheotah. His slave freighter flew down close to the locomotive. He shot the window and leapt out, grabbing hold of the loading ramp and pulling himself up.

"You're going to lose a lot from this, you know" said Ahsoka.

"You can keep the slaves, I'll just get more" said Sheotah. The freighter flew off.

"Looks like we have to stop this train, or we're all going to die" said Ahsoka.

"He shot the controls, there's no way of repairing that" said Luke.

"Then we'll just have to stop it manually" said Ahsoka.

"Meaning?" asked Luke.

"We use the Force, of course" smirked Ahsoka.

 _Meanwhile_

Han and Bane continued shooting at each other. Suddenly, Bane fired up his flamethrower, causing Han to duck. He rolled up to the Duros bounty hunter and punched him in the left leg, only to find his hand in pain because it was cybernetic.

"AHHH!" said Han. Bane pointed his blaster at him and shot, only for Han to roll out of the way and leap back onto his feet. "You know, you're getting a little old for this job. Ever thought of settling down, letting the next generation do all the work?"

"Because it's a job you take to the grave" replied Bane. Han pulled out a smoke grenade and threw it at Bane, running past him in the confusion. However, Bane shot a bola at him which brought him down. He then walked over to him, shot a fibercord whip at his wrists, activated his jets, and flew out over the cliff, dangling Han with him. "You lost today, kid; but it doesn't mean you have to like it" He retracted the fibercord and let Han fall. He then pressed a button his wrist device, summoning the _Xanadu Blood_ to him. He got into the cockpit and flew off. After he had left, however, the _Millennium Falcon_ rose up with Han lying on top.

"Hey Han, did I catch you too low?" said Corea through Han's comlink "You won't have to spend the rest of your life in a power chair, right?" Han smirked and got himself up.

"Don't worry; it was just fine" said Han into his comlink "You see, this is why I left you with the ship"

 _Meanwhile_

"Okay; clear your mind, Luke" said Ahsoka. The two of them stood parallel from each other. "Now extend yourself out through the Force and pull" The two of them gripped the side of the train together and began pulling it. The train, whilst slowing down, was still going at a tremendous speed towards the destroyed the bridge. "Pull!" The twos of them pulled harder. The train got closer and closer towards the end of the tracks; but just as they were about to fall over the edge, it stopped. Luke and Ahsoka huffed to catch breath before collapsing.

 _Meanwhile_

Corea landed the _Millennium Falcon_ next to the train and Han slid himself off. At that moment, Chewbacca arrived on a speeder bike and groaned.

"Sorry, Chewie; looks like you missed out on all the fun" said Han. Chewbacca roared frustrated. "Maybe next time" Corea stepped out of the _Falcon_ and looked up at the sky, where Rebel ships were descending down.

"Well, looks like the Alliance has arrived" said Corea.

"Speaking of which, you could've been a little faster on the rescue" smirked Han.

"What?" said Corea "I didn't want Bane to see the ship"

"Still though" smirked Han "Anyways; looks like those flying lessons with the _Falcon_ payed off. Even better is that we actually have the _Falcon_ "

"I still think it was way too coincidental to just find her in that Imperial outpost" said Corea.

"I'd call it luck" smirked Han.

"Sometimes you shouldn't rely on luck" said Corea. At that moment, Chewbacca came up with Luke and Ahsoka hung around his shoulders.

"Huh; oh!" said Han "They pretty messed up. Place them in the crew quarters, I'm sure they'll wake up eventually" Chewbacca huffed and entered the _Falcon_.

 **Author's note #1** : The train fight scene was a homage to the opening scene of _Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade_.

 **Author's note #2** : Sorry about not having replies in the last chapter, it just slipped my mind.

 **Just a Crazy-Man** : It's nice to see you're enjoying the story so far, thank you.

 **Martin** : Hey, glad to see that you're enjoying the story so far. I don't want to give anything away; but the ancient evil from Korriban will be one of the big things this season so I won't be revealing it straight away, but they'll be more details along the way. Just to let you know, my headcanon will follow the Pre-Disney Kyle Katarn storyline instead of _Rogue One_ , I hope this isn't too upsetting. As for the C-3PO, R2-D2, and PROXY chapter, I'll see if I can fit it in the series.


	4. Partners in Crime

**Author** ' **s note** : I apologize for the chapter mix-up a few days ago. It was late when I posted the chapter and I put it in this story instead of the one it actually belongs in. Anyways, now I've posted the real chapter four. Enjoy:

 **Partners in Crime**

 _Despite discovering the location of his criminal empire and freeing many slaves, the Zygerrian crimelord Barak Sheotah has escaped and is still at large! Having found out that he is indeed involved with the Galactic Empire, and more importantly Darth Vader himself, Captain Han Solo was able to transmit the information to the Alliance._

 _After a lengthy battle with bounty hunter Cad Bane, Captain Solo, with the help of the Alliance Fleet, was able to bring down Sheotah's palace and send the crimelord on the run. With an unconscious Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano aboard the Millennium Falcon, he now heads back to the Rebel homeworld of Corellia, But what surprises await for them…_

 _Corellia_

Rahm Kota stood in the Jedi memorial garden, looking deeply at a hologram of Galen Marek.

"I know it's been a long time, old friend; but I just wanted you to know, that we could really use your help right now" said Kota "As the days go by, the end of this war just feels further and further away. It feels like every day, the Empire's numbers increase whilst ours dwindle. We're outnumbered and outgunned…I'm impressed that the Order has survived this long, but I still wish we had your help" Juno Eclipse walked up to him.

"Catching up on old friends, I see" said Juno "I still can't believe how many years it has been. To think that it was him who brought us all together and started this rebellion"

"And he would be proud of what it has become" said Kota "We've taken down the Empire's superweapon and have continued valiantly. I just wish he were here to see it"

 _Meanwhile in hyperspace_

Luke lay aboard the _Millennium Falcon_ , tossing and turning in his sleep.

 _Luke's dream_

Everything seemed blurry at first with no sign of what was really going on; but as it cleared up, things began making sense. Two Jedi clashed with a mysterious figure. One of the Jedi was younger with a blue lightsaber; deep down, Luke could feel that it was Obi-Wan only younger. The other Jedi was much older with a beard and a green lightsaber. The mysterious figure, however, was still blurry. All he could make out was that he wore black and appeared to have two red blades. The three of them clashed in what appeared a large power facility above a large chasm.

 _Back to reality_

Luke got himself up, sighed, and pulled himself off the bed. He walked through the _Falcon_ until reaching the cockpit, where Han and Chewbacca were piloting.

"So you're finally up, kid?" said Han "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I think so" replied Luke "What happened?"

"Long story short; you stopped the train and we uncovered Sheotah's palace and freed the slaves, but both he and Cad Bane escaped" replied Han "We found you and Ahsoka passed out after stopping the train so we brought you aboard"

"Where's Ahsoka?" asked Luke.

"She woke up before you" replied Han "I told her that you were still sleeping; right now, she's at the back playing dejarik with Corea. You can go see them if you'd like" Luke exited the cockpit and walked into the main hold, where he found Ahsoka and Corea at the dejarik table.

"Looks like it's your turn again" said Ahsoka. Corea moved her Kintan strider piece forward. Ahsoka put on a smirk. "Looks like you made a bad move" She moved her Mantellian Savrip piece forward which took out the Kintan strider piece. "R2 taught me that move. Got you now"

"Really?" smirked Corea. She moved her K'lor'slug piece forward which got into a fight with the Mantellian Savrip piece, resulting in the Savrip's defeat.

"What the?!" said Ahsoka.

"And that move I figured out myself" smirked Corea "The Kintan strider death gambit, oldest trick in the book. Alright; it seems that both our big powerful pieces are out, looks like we're on equal ground"

"Not for long!" smirked Ahsoka. Luke cleared his throat to signal his presence. "Oh, hey Luke; how long have you been up?"

"I just got up" said Luke "I see you're playing dejarik"

"Yeah; R2 taught me a few new moves recently" said Ahsoka.

"Against anyone else" smirked Corea "But against Mandalorians? Not a chance. I don't mean to brag but we have a certain warrior instinct that Jedi lack"

"Are you sure you're interested in starting a civil war over this?" said Ahsoka.

"Nope" said Corea "Besides, there are better things to throw civil wars about. Don't worry; you two can talk, the board will be fine. The pieces literally simulate boredom when not being used" Ahsoka noticed that Luke looked a little uneasy.

"You okay?" asked Ahsoka.

"Ask me again sometime" said Luke.

"So anyways; Han told me that the Alliance has found no sign of Sheotah" said Ahsoka.

"We'll find him eventually" said Luke "I'm sure of it"

 _Meanwhile on the Executor_

Emerl Hatana stood on the bridge of the _Executor_.

"Mistress, you have a visitor" said Admiral Ozzel.

"Bring him to me" said Hatana. Sheotah walked up to her. "So; you're the Zygerrian crimelord I've heard so much about"

"I was expecting Lord Vader" said Sheotah.

"He isn't here right now, which is why I am in charge" said Hatana "But if he were here, he would no doubt share my disdain. You were meant to supply the Empire with resources to make up for the ones it took to boost your syndicate, that palace alone costed more than millions. If you want this partnership to be mutually beneficial, you had better prove your worth"

"I still have worth to the Empire" said Sheotah "The Alliance may have taken away my slaves, but I still have a web of allies that I can use for the Empire's advantage" At that moment, Captain Piett walked up to them.

"Commander, we have news on the hunt" said Piett "Our spies have traced a possible suspect to Rodia"

"I should've known that bug-eyed slimeball was playing us from the start" said Hatana "Bring him to me, I'll make him spill his guts out"

"If I may offer a suggestion, something more subtle would be better" said Sheotah "An obvious Imperial presence could raise an alarm and make finding your target all the more difficult"

"And you have a better plan?" said Hatana.

"Why yes, I do" smirked Sheotah. Cad Bane entered. "Commander, may I introduce famed and veteran bounty hunter Cad Bane"

"I've heard of you" said Hatana "You're pretty good"

"He is currently in my employment for a great price; but it is well worth it, he is second in this galaxy only to Boba Fett" said Sheotah. A small look of disdain fell on Bane's face at the mention of that name.

"What are you willing to do, bounty hunter?" asked Hatana.

"I'll do any job, for the right price" replied Bane "Just inform me and give me any tools I ask for" A smirk came on Hatana's face.

"This way" said Hatana whilst she led them out of the bridge.

 _Meanwhile_

The _Millennium Falcon_ landed on a landing pad on Corellia, with Luke and Ahsoka getting out.

"Thanks for the assist, Han" said Luke.

"No problem, kid" said Han "Just remember; if you ever need any help, just ask for it"

"We'll keep that in mind the next time we need a smuggler" said Ahsoka. The two of them walked off of the landing pad. "So…is it okay if I ask you what the matter is?"

"What do you mean?" asked Luke.

"I asked you before if there was something wrong and you said to ask you another time" replied Ahsoka "So I was wondering—"

"Oh; of course" said Luke "It was while I was asleep aboard the _Falcon_ ; I had this dream. I saw Obi-Wan, or at least it felt like Obi-Wan. He was looked very young and he was fighting someone, but I couldn't see who it was"

"Jedi or Sith?" asked Ahsoka.

"I presume Sith because the opponent had a red blade" replied Luke "Actually, they appeared to have two. Do you have any idea of who it could've been?"

"How young was he?" asked Ahsoka.

"Well, he didn't have a beard" replied Luke.

"Then that was definitely before I met him" said Ahsoka.

"But still, did he tell you about anything?" asked Luke.

"Only about the adventures he had as a padawan with his master" replied Ahsoka. A small light began to dawn on Luke after hearing the word "master". "I think I knew at the back of my mind that his master was dead, but he never told me about it"

"Why?" asked Luke.

"I guess it was just something too painful to talk about" replied Ahsoka "I think even the greatest Jedi find some things hard to share" Luke began to remember how Obi-Wan told him about Darth Vader's past but never actually went into detail on who he was before, other than he was a Jedi Knight whom he had taught. "Luke, I think you know by now that these visions have significance. Whether it's showing you the past, the present, or the future, do not underestimate them but not let them cloud your judgment either"

"I understand that" said Luke "Still, I keep getting the feeling that something terrible is going to happen. Something…sinister" Unbeknownst to the two of them, the cloaked figure who left from Han's race was watching them from a ledge. The figure then turned its gaze to the _Millennium Falcon_ , leapt down silently, and crept towards the ship.

 _Meanwhile_

Hatana brought up a hologram of Rodia.

"Your target is stationed on the planet Rodia" said Hatana "His name is Tee Colosor; he was a Rodian senator in the Imperial senate until its dissolution about a year ago. We suspected him of treason before he finally vowed loyalty to the Empire. Obviously it was just a guise to steal information from us. From what we've heard, we believe he's been contacted by someone who knows the whereabouts of a Jedi holocron" Bane's eyes squinted at the sound of the word. "We do not know where or who the contact is, which is why we are sending you" She ejected a holodisk from the projector and handed it to Bane. "This holodisk contains all the information you'll need to sneak into the Senatorial Palace and find him"

"Anything else?" said Bane. Hatana got out a small dart.

"This dart contains an experimental truth serum made by Imperial scientists" said Hatana "According to the lab results; once in the subject's bloodstream, it will take up to ten minutes to take effect and varying times for it to last. We've only got one so use it wisely" Bane took the dart and placed it in his pocket.

"And one more thing; I'll need some extra muscle" said Bane.

"For what reasons?" asked Hatana.

"Reasons that are my own" replied Bane.

"That I can supply" said Sheotah. He got out a small remote and pressed the button on it. Into the room walked an ASP-series droid with red and white plating and orange sensors. "May I present to you E7-3S, my personal bodyguard"

"What is it you wish of me, master?" asked E7-3S.

"You are to accompany Cad Bane to Rodia and do anything he wishes you to" replied Sheotah.

"An ASP droid; not the brightest model in the galaxy" said Bane.

"For the standard model: yes" said Sheotah "But I have modified him with numerous features; and I have programmed him for various tasks, including combat"

"Prove it" said Bane.

"Gladly" said Sheotah "But I'll require some test subjects"

"I can handle that" said Hatana "This is Commander Hatana, get in here now" Two stormtroopers who were standing guard at the door outside entered.

"What is it, commander?" asked one of the stormtroopers.

"Destroy this droid" replied Hatana. The two stormtroopers raised their blasters at E7.

"E7: Offensive mode!" said Sheotah. The stormtroopers opened fire but E7 leapt into the air and landed behind them, activating a pair of flamethrowers on his forearms and burning them to a crisp.

"Impressive" said Bane "He'll do"

 _Meanwhile_

Corea sat in the main hold playing dejarik with herself.

"Game gets easier all the time" said Corea to herself.

"If you really wanted a match, all you needed to do was ask" said Han as he entered. Corea smirked.

"That implies that you'd actually be challenge" said Corea.

"Says the girl I always used to win to" smirked Han.

"It's been a long time since we faced each other in that particular ring" said Corea "Are you sure that you're still out of my league?"

"Then why don't we have a round right now, just me and you?" smirked Han.

"You're only going to regret it later" said Corea.

"We'll see" smirked Han. He squeezed in beside her, accidently knocking something off her belt. "I'll get it" He picked it up off the ground, revealing it to be a locket. "Your locket? I didn't know you kept it. I mean, with your whole history—"

"We've been over this" said Corea "As much as I'd want to get over it, I just can't. It's the only piece of my family I have left; and as much as it pains me to hold onto it, I just can't part with it either"

"Look; I know it feels tough, but people have really warmed up to you in the Alliance" said Han "It doesn't matter that you're a Mandalorian"

"It's not Mandalorian blood I'm ashamed of, it's murderer's blood" said Corea "Being a Mandalorian is one thing; but if anyone finds out who my father was, I don't think it will be easy for them"

"And as I recall the last time we spoke about this, I told you this: you're not your family" said Han "You don't have to bound yourself to them" Corea sighed.

"I know you're right, but it doesn't make it any easier" said Corea. She snatched the locket off of Han. "But right now, I just want to forget about it"

"Corea, secrets don't stay buried" said Han.

"Don't tell anyone!" exclaimed Corea "I just….I can't—"

"I'm not going to tell anyone about it" said Han "You're going to"

"What?" said Corea.

"When you're ready, you're going to tell people about your past" said Han "I know some people may be upset at first, but they'll understand in time"

"Still doesn't make it any easier" said Corea.

"I never said it was easy" said Han "It's just something you have to do" It was then that they heard a small bump in the corner.

"Looks like we may have company" said Corea quietly.

"Agreed" said Han whilst pulling out his blaster. Corea put on her helmet and pulled out her blaster. "Chewie, we're in the main hold; and it looks like we've got an unexpected visitor" Chewbacca roared out of his comlink in response. "Grab your bowcaster and get into the main hold" Chewbacca growled in response. After a few minutes, Chewbacca entered the room with his bowcaster. "Time for a greeting" The three of them walked down a hallway quietly until eventually coming across a shadowy figure and aiming at him. "Hold it! Whoever you are, you've made the wrong decision to enter my ship uninvited" The figure moved out of the shadows, revealing himself to be the cloaked figure. He pulled off his cloak, revealing himself to be a large male Cathar. He pulled out a blaster from his belt and said something in Catharese.

"What did he say?" asked Corea.

"I'm not sure" replied Han "I'm not sure I'm familiar with these language" The Cathar said something else in Catharese. "Yeah; it's a shame we don't 3PO with us. Anyways; drop the blaster, and I may go merciful on this one" Suddenly, the Cathar swiftly shot the blaster out of Han's hand. Corea and Chewbacca opened fire on him, but the Cathar moved faster than the eye could see, uppercut Corea in the jaw, tripped Chewbacca over, and pinned Han to the wall. "You're good, I'll give you that one" Corea jumped up and pointed her blaster at the Cathar.

"Let him go or I'll shoot" said Corea.

"I do not intend to kill him" said the Cathar. Corea was in silence at this. "Do not worry, I can speak and understand basic. It is just not my first language" He released Han. "Apologizes for the hostilities, I often forget how common Basic has become"

"Who are you?" asked Corea.

"My name is Uro Rhak" replied the Cathar "I am a servant of the Pyke Syndicate"

"What do you want?" asked Han.

"I am here to arrest you" replied Rhak.

"Wait, on what grounds?" asked Han "I'll admit that the Pykes and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye very well, but they've never tried anything this drastic before"'

"The _Millennium Falcon_ was responsible for interfering with various operations of the Syndicate" replied Rhak "Because of this; you are hereby apprehended on the grounds of treason"

"I haven't gone anywhere near Pyke operations in a long time" said Han "Are you sure it's my ship; after all, there are quite a few Corellian transports out there"

"The Pykes keep a record of distinguishing features of notable ships" said Rhak "The one that was spotted did indeed have every feature" He pointed his blaster at Han's chest. "Come quietly; you don't want to make this more complicated than it is" Han was about to step back when Rhak grabbed him by the wrist, turned his hands to his back, and cuffed them. "This was never a request" Corea and Chewbacca pointed their blasters at him again, but he pulled Han in front of him as a shield. If you really care for this smuggler, you'll bring up a defense for him. The trials in ten hours; you'd better make it count" He pulled Han out of the _Falcon_ , with Corea and Chewbacca following after him. But as soon as they came outside, there was no sign of either of them.

 _Meanwhile aboard Home One_

Luke and Ahsoka entered the bridge of _Home One_ , being followed closely behind by R2.

"You wanted to see us, admiral?" said Luke.

"Indeed we did" replied a hologram of Sarke.

"Chief-of-state Sarke, I wasn't expecting you" said Luke.

"Commander Skywalker, Commander Tano; I have a new mission for you" said Sarke "About an hour ago, I was contacted by Tee Colosor on Rodia to inform me that he received a message from Kinyen, homeworld of the Gran. They told him that they have found something most intriguing, a Jedi holocron"

"I thought the Empire took ahold of all the holocrons during Order 66" said Ahsoka.

"From what information we have been able to gather" said Sarke "But if this is indeed real, then it is too great an opportunity to miss"

"Hang on; why didn't he give that information straight to you?" asked Luke "You are the chief-of-state, after all"

"Tee Colosor has good relations with the Gran" replied Sarke "Besides; the planet Kinyen is not officially an ally of the Alliance, so it is better if things weren't so direct. I have checked with the fleets, and yours is the closest to the system. Besides; considering the item itself is property of the Jedi Order, it is better if it were Jedi business"

"Alright, we'll do it" said Luke.

"I wish you luck" said Sarke. The hologram turned off.

"It could be a trap" said Ahsoka.

"Not likely" said Ackbar "The Gran are a peaceful race, I doubt they would deceive us like that. Some of them have even supplied the Alliance secretly. We should be fine"

 _Meanwhile on Rodia_

Cad Bane stood atop a building rooftop overlooking Tee Colosor's office. He watched a pair of Rodian guards with a pair of electrobinoculars.

"No witnesses, good" said Bane "Makes the next part all the easier" He pointed his wrist towards one of them and fired a dart from his cybernetic hand, instantly killing him. Before the other guard could even react, Bane fired a dart and killed him as well. "Front door's clear" He turned around to face Todo 360 and E7. 'You two know you're parts"

"Of course, Mr. Bane" said Todo "I shall stand on lookout in case of anything suspicious"

"And I shall assist you" said E7.

"And you'll only do it when I say so" said Bane.

"Absolutely!" said E7 whilst taking a bow. Bane got out a holographic disguise matrix device and stepped into it, taking the form of a Rodian guard. He then walked down to the office, entered a code in the door, and entered the building. He walked through the hallways and upstairs until eventually reaching the office room itself. He entered the room, where Tee Colosor sat a desk.

"I wasn't expecting company" said Colosor "Why have you come here?" Bane loaded his hand with the truth serum dart and shot it at Colosor, causing his disguise to flicker. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You'll see soon enough" said Bane, his disguise now disappearing completely.

"What…a bounty hunter!" exclaimed Colosor "What are you doing here?" Unbeknownst to Bane, he clicked on a small device beneath his desk to signal security.

"I'm here for you" replied Bane. He raised his blaster towards Colosor. "I need information, and you've got it" At that moment, a group of Rodian guards entered the office.

"Whatever you're looking for, you're not going to find it" said Colosor "Surrender, bounty hunter" Bane looked around at the guards that surrounded him. He pulled out his other blaster and shot two guards before ducking the inevitable retaliation fire. He quickly pressed a device on his wrist before activating his rocket boots, shooting backwards and knocking another guard off his feet. Just before he could hit the wall, he swung up and flew back towards the other guards, firing multiple shots at them. He landed and fired his fibercord whip at another guard and used it to pull him forward and shoot him in the face. At that moment, E7 arrived in the room and activated his flamethrowers, laughing maniacally as he burned the Rodians around him to a crisp.

"BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURN!" laughed E7.

"Turn those damn things off!" snarled Bane "It'll be all for nothing if we don't get that information"

"Of course" said E7 whilst deactivating his flamethrowers. As the smoke cleared, Bane saw Colosor attempt to run out of the room; but he swiftly grabbed ahold of his wrist and electrocuted him. As he dragged Colosor across to the window, the last surviving Rodian guard desperately reached for his blaster, but Bane shot him in the head. He pulled Colosor up and slammed him against the glass of the window, causing it to crack slightly.

"You'll…never get anything out of me…" breathed Colosor.

"Don't be so sure of that" said Bane "That dart I gave you contained a truth serum which takes effect within ten minutes. Considering all the excitement, it's moved faster through your bloodstream than usual. Now tell me; you received word of something important recently, word of a Jedi holocron. Who was your contact?"

"I'll never talk!" snapped Colosor.

"You will talk" said Bane "It's only a matter of time. Who was your contact?"

"I won't…I won't…his name is Tillean Moeps" said Colosor "He is a delegate for his family on the planet Kinyen. He contacted me a day ago of his discovery and I've already informed the Alliance"

"Where can I find him?" asked Bane.

"Capra" replied Colosor.

"You've been very useful" said Bane "But that's come to an end. Don't worry; at least you won't have to live with the fact that you betrayed the Alliance" With a powerful swing, he threw Colosor out of the window and watched him fall helplessly into the water below.

"What now?" asked E7.

"We're setting course for the Expansion Region" replied Bane.

 _One hour later_

 _Home One_ arrived above Kinyen. A _Nu_ -class attack shuttle, being piloted by Luke and Ahsoka, flew out of the hanger and descended towards the planet. A hologram appeared of Ackbar appeared on the dashboard.

"We're approaching the planet now" said Luke "All the cities appear to be close to each other so it shouldn't be too far to reach"

"Remember to find and talk to Tillean Moeps of the Moeps family" said Ackbar "His tower is located at the center of the city of Capra. Trying to be discreet"

"We will" said Luke. Ackbar nodded and his hologram turned off. As the shuttle approached the planet, the _Xanadu Blood_ came out of hyperspace just behind the planet's moon. Bane activated the cloaking device and followed them quietly.

"Time to collect my bounty" said Bane.

 _Meanwhile_

Hatana stood at the strategy table looking at the holograms of various planets. At that moment, Sheotah walked up to her.

"Bane has entered the Kinyen system" said Sheotah "He must have decided to show some initiative. That's why I always liked him as a bounty hunter"

"Has he contacted you?" asked Hatana.

"No; but I placed a tracking device inside of E7" replied Sheotah.

"Should we send a fleet to assist him?" asked Hatana.

"No; it's better to let the bounty hunter do his work" replied Sheotah "Now; I know it's none of my business, but would the Gran have a holocron in the first place? From what little I've gathered, I thought the Empire had obtained all Jedi holocrons during Order 66"

"That information is classified" replied Hatana.

"And why exactly is it classified?" asked Sheotah.

"Because only a select few are meant to know of it" said a voice. Sheotah turned around to find MOXAL projecting a hologram of Darth Vader before them.

"Lord Vader, I was told that—" said Sheotah.

"I am currently on a different task, which is why I am not currently on the _Executor_ " said Vader "I am not pleased with your recent progress, Sheotah" Sheotah gulped. "This alliance was meant to be mutually beneficial, yet you gamble away millions and expect us to cover the cost"

"My lord, the Alliance's victory was unexpected" said Sheotah "Just remember that I was as badly damaged as you were"

"Except it wasn't your money" said Vader.

"But I am making up for it" said Sheotah "Right now, my bounty hunter is after a Jedi holocron"

"And for your sake, he had better retrieve it in one piece" said Vader.

"He will" said Sheotah. Vader turned to Hatana.

"Hatana, I wish to speak with you alone" said Vader

"Yes, my lord" said Hatana. She followed MOXAL out of the bridge.

"As you know, finding the lost holocrons has been one of my primary duties as of late" said Vader.

"Of course" said Hatana.

"I am curious as to why you didn't inform of this" said Vader "I only found out because MOXAL contacted me about your current progress"

"I didn't wish to disrespect you, my lord" said Hatana "I only wished to carry on your plans in your absences, like you told me to"

"I told you to keep everything in line for me in my absence" said Vader "Not to play out my plans without my authorization"

"My apologizes" said Hatana "I merely wanted to—"

"You are excused, for now" said Vader "But once the bounty hunter returns, you shall not continue looking for holocrons until I return"

"Understood, my master" said Hatana.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke grabbed out a pair of hooded cloaks and passed one to Ahsoka.

"Here; Ackbar did tell us to be discreet" said Luke.

"If you think about it; walking throughout town in a mysterious cloak and not wanting to be seen could be considered suspicious" smirked Ahsoka whilst pulling her cloak on.

"Well, it's all we have; better make the most of it" smirked Luke whilst pulling his cloak on. The two of them walked out onto the landing pad they had arrived at and onto the streets of the agriculture-styled city of Capra, with R2 following them. Gran of all ages filled the streets and carried on with their daily lives, not paying attention to the two cloaked figures that walked past them. Ahsoka briefly saw a domesticated houjix chained up and laying asleep outside a house, just before two Gran children ran past them playing.

"It's times like this when you see the lives of civilians that it almost makes you forget about the whole war" said Ahsoka.

"It almost reminds me of my life growing up on Tatooine" said Luke "The planet was never officially part of the war. At times I couldn't believe it myself since I never witnessed it, I only really heard about it" Bane watched from the shadows as the two of them walked through the city.

"Should we destroy them?" asked E7.

"Not yet" replied Bane "If they know we're here, it could become a handful. We'll stay hidden until we get the holocron" R2 stopped and looked around, whimpering nervously.

"What's wrong, R2?" asked Ahsoka. R2 beeped nervously.

"I think something just spooked him" said Luke "C'mon, let's get going" They continued walking down the streets until they reached a large square-shaped building at the center of the city. At that top of the building was a giant statue of the Gran goddess Doellin. A pair of Gran guards wielding large force pikes stepped out with a Gran nobleman dressed in fine violet garments. Luke and Ahsoka removed their hoods.

"We're looking for Tillean Moeps of House Moeps" said Luke.

"That would be me" said the Gran nobleman "I trust you are of the Rebellion"

"We are" said Ahsoka whilst pulling the robes enough to show her lightsaber "And we are of the Jedi Order as well"

"Splendid!" said Moeps "Right this way" He brought them into the building. Inside was a large room with a fountain at the center, which also featured a statue of Doellin. "I had hoped they would send Jedi. Are there anymore of you; of Alliance members, I mean"

"We have a ship in orbit, but just one ship" replied Luke "But I don't think we'll be having any troubles from the Empire"

"I would certainly hope not" said Moeps "Ghastly Imperials; they never leave you alone. They bombed one of our cities once because we simply refused their requests" He brought them into an elevator and went up two floors.

"Just one thing I wanted to know; how did you find the holocron?" asked Luke.

"I had heard rumors of a holocron located on the planet Wehio" replied Moeps "Apparently the Hutts had sent a bounty hunter to find and retrieve it, but they had proved unsuccessful. After discovering this, I sent parties to search for it. To our surprise; it wasn't located in any of the temples but instead was located on the side of one"

"But why did you retrieve it?" asked Ahsoka.

"Because I was hoping on asking for your help" replied Moeps "Ever since the Empire rose up, they have been taking our supplies. If they keep going on like this, my people will all starve and I fear our peaceful society to collapse if put under enough pressure. All that I ask is that you give us some supplies in secret; just enough to help us get through the next few months"

"Of course we'll help you" said Luke "All you had to do was ask"

"Still; it only feels proper" said Moeps. He walked up to a portrait of a Gran nobleman and removed to reveal a safe on the other side. He opened the safe and pulled out a Jedi holocron. "Here, take it" He was about to give it to Luke when a blaster bolt shot through him.

"Oh no!" said Ahsoka. As the holocron fell from Moeps's hands, a fibercord whip swiftly shot forward, wrapped around it, and pulled it back into the hands of Cad Bane.

"Cad Bane!" said Luke and Ahsoka simultaneously.

"So long, Jedi!" said Bane. He hoped off of the railing and plummeted down to the floor below, using his boots to slow down his fall.

"We have to the elevator" said Luke.

"We've got no time" said Ahsoka.

"What do you mean by thaAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" said Luke just before Ahsoka grabbed onto his wrist and leapt off with him. As they rapidly fell, Ahsoka grabbed onto the side of the first floor before jumping down to the ground floor.

"C'mon!" said Ahsoka. She ran off after Bane with Luke following her.

"E7, now's the time" said Bane into his comlink. Suddenly, E7 blasted up with the use of a jetpack on his back and flew towards them.

"Prepare to suffer!" screamed E7.

"Looks like he brought backup" said Ahsoka whilst igniting her lightsaber along with Luke. E7 fired up his flamethrowers; but to their surprise, he didn't fire at them and instead aimed towards civilians. "He's distracting us so he can get away; but we can't let these civilians get hurt either"

"I'll take care of this" said Luke "You go after Bane"

"On it, Skyguy" said Ahsoka. She rushed off after Bane, who had activated his boots and was flying above most of the buildings now until finally landing on one of them. Ahsoka leapt up onto the ledge of it and pulled herself up. Bane was about to entered his starfighter when he noticed her there and shot. Ahsoka deflected it and rushed towards him. Bane pulled out his other blaster and began shooting at her continuously.

 _Meanwhile_

Grans ran in panic as the street was engulfed in flames. A mother Gran and her two children tried to escape.

"Mommy, are we going to get out of here?" asked one of the children.

"Don't worry, we will" replied the mother "We just need to…AH!" E7 landed in front of her, chuckling evilly. "Please, just let my family and I go; can't you see we're innocent?"

"Sorry; my orders are to burn civilians, no exceptions!" laughed E7.

"Please, I'm begging you!" begged the mother.

"That's not my concern" said E7. He pointed his arm towards her and charged his flamethrower. "Die!" At that moment, a rock was thrown at his head.

"That's enough" said Luke "I can't just stand by and let you kill people like this. You're real fights with me. So c'mon, let's finish this!"

"Oh, a hero!" laughed E7 "If you want to die, I'll be happy to oblige!" He pointed his arm at Luke and shot flames at him. Luke ducked the blow. Suddenly, E7 shot forward on his jetpack and grabbed Luke. "Got you!" He flew all the way to the top of the city's center building. Luke got out his lightsaber and used it to cut one of the droid's arms off, freeing him. "OW!" Luke landed on the top of the building with a roll and got himself up again. E7 landed. "I've still got one more!" He fired up his other flamethrower and blasted Luke with it, who ran aside to avoid. "You can't run forever!"

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka slashed forward with her lightsaber but Bane used his rocket boots to evade the blow. He blasted his flamethrower at her, but she extended her hands out to part the flames. Bane shot his fibercord whip at her, which wrapped around her wrists but she used her lightsaber to cut it and free herself. She rolled back to avoid his shots again. Suddenly, she felt something tugging her leg and pulling her back. She looked around to see Todo ahold of her leg and pulling it.

"Master, get her now!" said Todo. Ahsoka kicked him off and got herself to her feet again. She then saw the holocron hanging Bane's belt. Suddenly, she heard the sound of Vader's breathing; but as she looked around, there was no sign of him.

 _Meanwhile_

E7 turned off his flamethrowers and got out a chaingun.

"Take this!" said E7 whilst shooting at Luke continuously. Luke deflected the shots but he suddenly heard the sound of Vader's breathing, distracting him.

"Vader…" said Luke under his breath. Suddenly, a shot hit him in the arm and the hip. E7 walked up to him and warmed up his flamethrower.

"Time to BURN!" laughed E7. Suddenly, a thin cable shot out and pulled his arm back. The cable belonged to R2 who desperately tried to pull the larger droid back. "What is this!?" He pulled R2 towards him but R2 activated his jets pulled the arm upwards. "Oh yeah; let's see how smug you are when I disintegrate you!" He shot flames at R2 who dodged desperately. Luke got himself up, extended his arms out, and force-pushed E7 off of the rooftop, dragging R2 with him who screamed.

"R2, let go!" exclaimed Luke. R2 retracted his cable back and used his jets to propel him back on the rooftop. "Good job, R2; I think we got him" Suddenly, E7 rose up with the use of his jetpack. "Shoot!"

 _Meanwhile_

"We can go on like this all day, little lady" said Bane "But I've got money to collect. I'll just give you are a parting gift" He got out a thermal detonator and threw it at Ahsoka, who acted upon instinct and force-pushed it into the sky. Bane was about to enter his starfighter, when Ahsoka force-gripped the holocron and pulled it to herself. But upon touching it she realized that something was wrong. The holocron lacked any true feeling to it as if it were empty.

"What in the—" said Ahsoka just before Todo sped past and snatched the holocron out of her hands and into Bane's hands who leapt back into his starfighter and took off. He aimed his starfighter's cannons at Ahsoka and shot, but Ahsoka leapt out of the way only just.

 _Meanwhile_

"Admiral, a starfighter is coming towards us" said a Mon Calamari officer "According to our records, it belongs to bounty hunter Cad Bane" Ackbar realized that if Luke and Ahsoka were looking for a holocron and a bounty hunter was in the area, it could mean bad news.

"Send out all fighters" said Ackbar "We cannot allow this bounty hunter to escape, but do not destroy him"

"Yes sir" said the Mon Calamari officer. X-Wings and Y-Wings flew out of _Home One_ 's hanger and surrounded _Xanadu Blood_.

"This should be interesting" smirked Bane. As the Starfighters moved in on him, he began shooting at them.

"Admiral, he's attacking us" said an X-Wing pilot into his comm "What are your orders?"

"You can fire back, but try to be careful about it" replied Ackbar "If the bounty hunter has possession of the holocron, we could lose what we set out to retrieve" The X-Wings and Y-Wings fired back, but Bane was too swift for them. "I'll contact Skywalker and Tano"

 _Meanwhile_

"There's just no stopping this guy" said Luke. R2 beeped. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" R2 beeped again. "Alright; let's do it then" R2 activated his jets and hovered above the ground. Luke grabbed onto him and leapt up at E7, grabbing onto his foot.

"Get off!" snapped E7. Luke threw his lightsaber at his jetpack, causing it to malfunction and sending him flying all over the place. "Oh oh!" Luke leapt off and landed on the building, back first.

"Not the best landing…" said Luke. He crawled over to the ledge and saw that E7 had flown into a spike on the building, impaling him in the chest.

"That's not…supposed to go…there…" said E7 before deactivating.

"We got him that time" said Luke.

"Luke, are you there?" asked Ahsoka through his comlink.

"Loud and clear" replied Luke into his comlink.

"Where are you?" asked Ahsoka.

"I'm at the top of the center building" replied Luke "I've got some good news, the droid's out. Have you got the holocron back?"

"It's a long story" replied Ahsoka "I'll tell you when you get back to the shuttle"

"I'll be there" said Luke. He looked down over the ledge. "Just as soon as I get down"

 _Meanwhile_

Bane blasted his way through the starfighters until he found a clear path. He set in coordinates and went into hyperspace.

"Damn it!" said Ackbar "We've lost him! We have to inform Skywalker and Tano"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and R2 arrived at the shuttle, where Ahsoka was waiting for him.

"Have you got the holocron?" asked Luke.

"I'm afraid not" said Ahsoka "But we don't have to worry; it was only a fake"

"How do you know?" asked Luke.

"During my fight with Bane, I touched it" said Ahsoka "And…it felt empty, like there was nothing more to it than just a shell. I've held a holocron before and it felt much different, like it was something ancient and belonged to the Jedi. We'd better get back to _Home One_ " The three of them entered the shuttle and lifted off into the sky.

"I don't understand" said Luke "Who would hide a fake holocron?"

"I know; it doesn't make much sense" said Ahsoka. Luke began to scratch his chin.

"What if…it was to protect the real holocrons?" said Luke.

"In what way?" asked Ahsoka.

"This is just a theory; but if there were holocrons that the Empire didn't claim, wouldn't a good way to confuse them would be to place fake holocrons across the galaxy. After all, most of the Imperials aren't even force-sensitive so I doubt they could tell the difference"

"That might be true, but we can't be certain about it" said Ahsoka "We'll have to ask one of the masters about it"

 _Meanwhile on Oba Diah_

Han awoke blindfolded, unsure of where he was.

"You don't worry about anything, Captain Solo" said Rhak's voice "Not yet, at least"

"Where am I?" asked Han. He felt a pair of large paws remove the blindfold from him. Standing before him were Rhak and Vulnus Pyke (the new leader of the Pyke Syndicate). "Why am I here?"

"You know the reason; you shall face judgement for what the _Millennium Falcon_ has done" said Rhak.

"Don't worry; as long as you have a solid case, I'm sure you will be fine" said Vulnus with a slimy grin "Welcome to the Pyke Syndicate, Captain Solo!"

 **Author's note** : I just want everyone to know that appreciate everyone's reviews. Thank you very much for the support.

 **Hellman76** : I'll see where I can fit them in.

 **Just a Crazy-Man** : Thanks for the support; I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters.

 **Martin** : I'm sure at this stage Han has met every bounty hunter in the galaxy ;)

 **Hope reigns on** : They do have feelings for each other; they just can't admit it to each other because Jedi aren't allowed to love.


	5. Trial of a Smuggler

**Author's note** : I'm really, really sorry for the long delay. I was without internet for a few days and then I was away from my computer for two days so the writing process was really slowed down. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy.

 **Trial of a Smuggler**

 _After receiving a message from the planet Kinyen that they had found a long lost Jedi holocron, Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano travelled there to collect it; only for bounty hunter Cad Bane to interfere and steal it from them. Despite the high tensions, Ahsoka assures the rest of the Alliance that the holocron was merely a fake presumably designed to cover the identities of the real ones._

 _Meanwhile, Captain Han Solo has been accused of treason by the Pyke Syndicate on the grounds that their shipments have been attacked by the Millennium Falcon! After hearing of the upcoming trial, the Rebel Alliance dispatched Princess Leia Organa to represent him, but can she win against the odds presented…_

 _Oba Diah_

Han sat in his cell, his attention being drawn when the door opened to reveal Leia entering.

"Well, if it isn't the grand princess" said Han.

"Still as wisecracking as ever, even on death road" said Leia.

"What are doing here?" asked Han.

"The Alliance sent me to represent you in the trial" replied Leia.

"Great" said Han "So anyway; how do you suppose you're going to win this case, your magnificence?"

"The details are still fuzzy, but we can start with when you last encountered the Pykes" replied Leia.

"It's too long since our last encounter" said Han "Heck; ever since I joined he Alliance, I've been doing whatever I could to just stay away from those spice drivers. Even before then I'd try to stay away" Leia sat down next to him. "None of it matters, anyway; if the Pykes want me down, they'll send me down. They're only using this trial as a way to justify their acts"

"It's occurred to me that it was not too long ago that you lost the _Falcon_ to the Empire" said Leia "It's very possible that they used it to frame you"

"Why me in particular?" asked Han.

"You've participated in battles and performed various missions for us" said Leia "And given your past, I'd say you've gotten the Empire's attention in a very bad way. I just need to get dates and other information then compare it to what we have. We may just win through this"

"Just" said Han.

 _Meanwhile above Oba Diah_

An Imperial star destroyer loomed over the planet. Vader stood aboard the bridge overlooking it, breathing ominously. An Imperial officer walked up to him.

"Lord Vader, the team you dispatched to Kinyen have returned" said the Imperial officer "They are awaiting for you in the hanger" Vader turned around and left the bridge. He walked down to the hanger where a small group of stormtroopers awaited him outside a _Sentinel_ -class landing craft. He walked up to a stormtrooper commander.

"Have you found what I requested, commander?" asked Vader.

"Yes, my lord" replied the stormtrooper commander. Two stormtroopers opened up a crate. Vader walked up to it to look at it. Inside were the remains of E7-3S. "It was badly damaged. I'm not sure if it's repairable or not" Vader summoned the head to his hand and looked at it.

"Good work, commander" said Vader "Leave it to me"

"If I may ask; how did you know where to find it?" asked the stormtrooper commander.

"That part is not for you to know" replied Vader "Leave me" The stormtrooper commander nodded and exited the hanger, followed by the other stormtroopers. Vader looked deeper into the lifeless sensors of the droid head he held in his hands.

 _Meanwhile on the Executor_

Cad Bane entered the bridge of the _Executor_.

"You have returned, my bounty hunter" said Sheotah "What has happened to the droid?"

"Got himself destroyed, as far as I'm concerned" replied Bane "Why; are you attached to it?"

"Of course not" replied Sheotah "It's merely a pity that I'll have to buy another" Hatana walked up to them.

"Have you got it?" asked Hatana. Bane pulled the holocron from his coat.

"Right here" replied Bane. Hatana snatched it from his hands.

"It's a fake!" snapped Hatana.

"What; how can you tell?" said Sheotah.

"I've held holocrons before" replied Hatana "A real holocron has a feeling that resonates through you, be Jedi or not. This feels nothing like a holocron"

"I gave you what you were looking for" said Bane "I was only doing my job"

"That may be so" said Hatana "But I'm beginning to question your servitude, bounty hunter. Fortunately; I do not make the final say, Lord Vader does. We'll contact him and he'll decide how to handle it"

 _Meanwhile on Corellia_

Luke and Ahsoka entered Sarke's office.

"I heard of what happened" said Sarke "It is saddening to hear of the loss of a potential ally and even more so at the loss of the holocron. But assure us that it wasn't a real one, Commander Tano"

"If it were real, I would have felt something" said Ahsoka "The one we found, there was just nothing to it; it looked like a holocron but it just didn't feel like one"

"I trust your judgement, Master Jedi" said Sarke "The bounty was onto it from the beginning; we found the body of Tee Colosar washed up today, with the autopsy showing a strange fluid in his bloodstream. But for what reasons would a fake holocron be created?"

"We believe that it was meant to cover for the real ones" replied Luke.

"So are there any clues on where to find the real ones?" asked Sarke.

"Well…not yet" said Luke "But we've got so much to deal with right now that it's hard to focus"

"This is all Jedi business and I do not wish to interfere" said Sarke "I will trust your judgment. You may leave" Luke and Ahsoka turned to leave. "Commander Tano, can you wait a second" Ahsoka stopped and turned back to Sarke.

"What is it?" asked Ahsoka.

"You are aware of Cadfurew the Hutt?" asked Sarke.

"Yes" replied Ahsoka.

"And I trust you are familiar with his recent attempt on Princess Leia's life?" asked Sarke.

"Yes" replied Ahsoka.

"We've been interrogating the police officers and found several who we believed to be involved with giving him the resources" said Sarke "But I believe that there may be something bigger. We have reasons to believe that Cadfurew had a partner in this who organized everything whilst he was imprisoned"

"Why not simply bust him out?" asked Ahsoka.

"Because it would draw too much attention" replied Sarke "We believe that this partner has a position of power within the Rebellion and any major move like that would only lead to losing that position. The police and I have out speculations, but I was just wondering if we could get a Jedi's insight"

"Why not ask for Luke's as well?" asked Ahsoka.

"I thought that as the more experienced of the two you would be the right one to ask" replied Sarke "I know that as a Jedi you generally stay away from politics; but tell me, is there anyone who you suspect? Anyone in a high place who you find untrustworthy?"

"Well…I'm not sure exactly" replied Ahsoka.

"That's fine" replied Sarke "You can go on your way now, I just felt like asking because you were already here" Ahsoka turned to leave but found herself stopping in her tracks.

"Actually, sir, there is one who matches that description" said Ahsoka.

"Really?" said Sarke "Do tell" Ahsoka breathed in.

"It's Borsk Fey'lya" said Ahsoka.

"The Bothan; but he's been one of the Alliance's greatest supporters since the Battle of Yavin" said Sarke.

"I know" said Ahsoka "But he's not trustworthy. When Princess Leia and I went to Muunilinst, he came with us. While Leia was talking with the Banking Clan, he went off on his own. I followed him and…I found him threatening a pregnant woman"

"Why?" asked Sarke.

"He was trying to get information out of her" replied Ahsoka "When I intervened, he attacked me and later accused me of attacking him"

"And you are sure he is up to something?" asked Sarke.

"I'm not sure of that" replied Ahsoka "But…he's up to something"

"Interesting" said Sarke "We'll have to look into it. I thank you for your time, you may leave" Ahsoka nodded and left.

 _Meanwhile_

MOXAL projected a hologram of Vader.

"What is it?" asked Vader.

"My lord, the bounty hunter has returned with a holocron but it is fake" replied Hatana.

"It was the exact same holocron you sent me after" said Bane.

"How are we supposed to know?" said Hatana "For all we know, this is merely a fake that they gave you to keep off"

"With the desperation they've had recently, I doubt they would go to this level" said Bane "Besides, I was off Rodia with no witnesses"

"Enough!" said Vader "Whether or not the Jedi are in possession of a real holocron is of no concern to you, Hatana. I clearly told you to not search for Jedi artifacts until I came back"

"But, my lord—" said Hatana.

"There will be no more of this" said Vader "As for you, bounty hunter; your efforts are nonetheless appreciated. You shall be paid"

"And what of me, my lord?" asked Sheotah "After all, I was the one who hired him"

"You shall be paid as well" said Vader "Captain Piett, compensate our collaborators with what we promised"

"Yes, my lord" said Piett "Right this way" Piett led Bane and Sheotah.

"Remember to stay out of this, Hatana" said Vader "If we lose any holocrons to the Jedi, it will be unacceptable" The hologram switched off and Hatana sighed.

 _Meanwhile_

Vader stood in his workshop overlooking the remains of E7-3S who he was rebuilding. He summoned a tool to his hand and did work in his chest piece. He closed over the chest piece and reactivated E7. The droid sat himself up.

"Who are you?" asked Vader.

"I am E7-3S" replied E7.

"And what is to function?" asked Vader.

"To serve you and only you, my master" replied E7 "I will do your bidding and have questions about it"

"Good" said Vader "I have a task for you"

 _Meanwhile_

Piett brought Bane and Sheotah into a small room. He walked over to a cupboard, pulled out a briefcase, turned to Bane, and opened it to reveal credits.

"As per your request, 50,000 credits in unmarked bills" said Piett. He closed the briefcase and handed it to Bane. He turned back to the closet, got out two briefcases, and turned to Sheotah. "And as for you; 90,000,000 credits" He handed them to Sheotah. "The Empire thanks you for your service" He left the room. Sheotah lifted the briefcases up and looked at them with disgust.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to transfer these to my account" said Bane. He turned to leave but Sheotah stopped him.

"Hold it" said Sheotah "I've got one last job for you, and I promise to pay you well. Get out your commando droids and follow me"

 _Meanwhile_

Hatana walked through the halls of the _Executor_ and into Vader's quarters. She squatted down at a small compartment and opened it.

"I'll make up for this mistake, no matter what Vader tells me" muttered Hatana to herself. She began rummaging through the compartment. "I just need the right…got it!" She pulled out a small device. She turned it on and it projected a holographic screen. "Let's see if there's anything new here" She looked through the recorded messages. "Only an hour ago, how convenient" She played the message.

" _Lord Vader, this is Ru-Thire. I have made a great discovery, a Jedi holocron; and it's real one, not one of the fake ones that keep turning up. Unfortunately, my ship was damaged and I cannot get offworld. I am waiting for you on the fourth moon of Yavin"_

"Ru-Thire; one of the most brutal Dark Jedi ever recruited by the Empire" said Hatana "It would seem that I found a holocron and a new ally" She stood up and walked off to the hanger. She got inside a _Lambda_ -class T-4a shuttle and took off. However, MOXAL had followed her and was watching her silently behind a crate. He dispatched a small drone from his back which silently followed over to the shuttle and snuck aboard just before it took off.

 _Meanwhile in hyperspace_

Luke and Ahsoka sat aboard the _Rogue Shadow_ whilst it bolted through hyperspace. At that moment, Luke felt a strange sensation through the Force and held his forehead tensely.

"Is something wrong?" asked Ahsoka.

"There's…There's some kind of disturbance in the Force" replied Luke "Something…Hatana! She's going somewhere on her own…Somewhere to…collect something important"

"Do you know where it is?" asked Ahsoka.

"I'm not sure" replied Luke "I only got a brief glimpse"

"Try to concentrate harder" said Ahsoka "Close your eyes" Luke closed his eyes. "Now clear your head and focus"

"I see it" said Luke "It's somewhere I've been before. There are trees…waterfalls…temples…YAVIN 4!"

"Are you sure?" asked Ahsoka.

"I'd recognize it anywhere" said Luke "We have to go there"

"Then let's set a new course for the Yavin system" said Ahsoka.

 _Later_

Hatana's shuttle came out above Yavin 4. It descended down into the forest below and landed. Hatana got out. She sat on the ground cross-legged and cleared her mind. The _Rogue Shadow_ landed down and Luke and Ahsoka got out and walked through the forest until they found Hatana.

"Hold up!" said Ahsoka quietly whilst pulling Luke behind a tree.

"There she is" said Luke quietly.

"If we go in now, she'll only fight back and make it harder for us" said Ahsoka quietly.

"Agreed" said Luke quietly "Let's wait this out" Hatana's eyes opened and she stood up, walking off into the jungle. Luke and Ahsoka followed after her quietly. Whisper birds flew overhead. Ahsoka looked over at the trees and could see various woolamanders chattering and climbing through the trees.

"So this is where it all happened?" said Ahsoka.

"Yep" replied Luke "This moon was once the location of a quintessential Rebel base; or at least until the Empire came and chased us out" They followed Hatana until she came up on a large lake. At the center of the lake a lay an island and on the island was a large dark temple with a foreboding presence.

"Woah!" said Ahsoka. Hatana leapt into the lake and started swimming across until she reached the island. "Looks deep; skilled at swimming?"

"A little, but Tatooine isn't exactly the most vital place to learn how to swim" replied Luke.

"We'll try to stay close to each other" said Ahsoka "And try not to look down" The two slipped into the water and began paddling across. Unbeknownst to the two of them, the silhouette of a medium-sized creature swam below them, watching their every move. It approached them silently and subtlety as to not attract their attention. It swam closer and closer to them until it grabbed ahold of Luke's foot and pulled him under. "Luke!" Luke desperately held his breath and looked down at the creature that had attacked him. It was a green aquatic gundark and it was pulling him away fast. Luke desperately kicked it in the mouth until it let him go. Instead of leaving, the aquatic gundark began circling Luke. Luke got out his lightsaber and ignited it. The aquatic gundark passed by him and then passed by him again before finally lunging towards him. Just as it attacked, Luke stabbed it in the chest with his lightsaber. The aquatic gundark let out a shrill scream which couldn't be heard underwater and died. Luke bounded up and began swimming to the surface when a hand grabbed his and pulled him up. Ahsoka brought him to the surface and helped pull him to land. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" breathed Luke "Just need to get up" He got himself up. The two of them looked at the temple in front of them.

"She's inside" said Ahsoka. The two of them walked over to the entrance, where the foreboding presence was more powerful than ever.

"I sense something" said Luke "And I don't like it"

"It's the dark side, Luke" said Ahsoka "Whatever she's looking for is in here" The two of them walked into the temple. Large tomb flier bats lay roosting in the roof, some of them watching the pair eerily. As they walked further, they could see Hatana walking in front of them unaware of their presence. Hatana reached a small clearing. At the center of the clearing sat a cloaked figure that appeared to be meditating. Luke and Ahsoka hid in the shadows behind a pillar. As Hatana approached him, a pair of yellow eyes opened beneath the hood.

"Who dares approach me?!" growled the figure.

"I do" smirked Hatana. The figure stood up and pulled down his hood, revealing himself to be a green Vurk with large yellow eyes. "You are Ru-Thire, are you not?"

"Aye" replied the Vurk "But who are you?"

"I am Emerl Hatana, apprentice to your master—Lord Vader" replied Hatana.

"Lord Vader has no apprentice" snarled Ru-Thire.

"You have clearly been out of touch for a long time" said Hatana "Anyways, I believe you have a holocron?"

"If I did, what business would it be for you?" snarled Ru-Thire.

"That's not what matters" said Hatana "Do you have it?"

"Whoever you are, you are badly mistaken" replied Ru-Thire "I only take orders directly from Lord Vader himself and no one else"

"But you sent a message to Lord Vader that you had found a holocron" said Hatana.

"That message was for him or him alone" said Ru-Thire "He would not send anyone but himself on this task. Now leave"

"Or what?" said Hatana.

"Or I will kill you!" snarled Ru-Thire. He force-gripped Hatana, lifted her up into the air, slammed her against the wall, and finally slammed her down onto the ground. "Leave now, or I'll cut in two!" Hatana lifted her head up.

"We've got to get out of here" said Luke quietly.

"No kidding" said Ahsoka quietly "Anyone who can Hatana out that easily has got to be nothing but trouble. We'll have to get Kota or someone else in, they'll know what to do" Ru-Thire looked around. "There's someone else here. I can sense them…" Luke and Ahsoka froze. Ru-Thire turned his head to where they were hiding and pulled them out by their legs. "Jedi!"

"What are you two doing here?" snapped Hatana.

"You know these Jedi?" said Ru-Thire.

"For a long time, actually" said Hatana "Why?"

"Because it is my duty to destroy Jedi at any cost" replied Ru-Thire. He pulled off his cloak, revealing black armor underneath.

"I know; but let me handle this!" said Hatana.

"If you haven't succeeded in killing these two before, then why should I believe that you can now?" said Ru-Thire.

"Please listen, we haven't come to fight you" said Luke.

"Whoever you are, that doesn't matter" said Ru-Thire "You will fight, or you will die!" He pulled out a double-bladed lightsaber and ignited the red blades. Luke and Ahsoka got out their lightsabers and ignited them. Ru-Thire charged towards them and clashed against their blades. "DIE!"

 _Meanwhile_

Han sat at the front of the courtroom which was filling up fast, but there was no sign of Leia anywhere.

"Hey, you good?" asked Corea, who was sitting behind him next to Chewbacca.

"Absolutely fine" replied Han "Except for the simple fact that my defense isn't here; what's keeping, it's not like her to be late for…well…anything"

"Just relax" said Corea "Everything's going to turn out just fine. I'm sure Leia will be able to appeal to their…more reasonable side"

"Well, good luck with that" said Han "A thousand of negotiators cannot change the mind of a crimelord" Corea looked around at all the people in the audience of the courtroom, noting the appearance of Gorga and Arok the Hutt.

"Quite a crowd you've drawn" said Corea.

"You'll be surprised by the amount of people I've ticked off over the years" said Han "Quite a few of them would delight in my death"

"Hey, is that a Falleen?" said Corea.

"A Falleen, where?" said Han. He turned around to see an elegant Falleen woman sitting on the other side, dressed in regal purple and gold garments. "I can't believe it; that's Savan, the niece of Black Sun's prince"

"You're surprised to see her here?" said Corea.

"I thought she was dead" said Han. Savan looked over to them, smirked, got up, and walked over to them.

"Well, look who got himself caught" said Savan "It took long enough"

"What are you doing here, Savan?" asked Han.

"I am merely an observer" replied Savan "As soon as my uncle heard about this, he just you'll need it" He walked back to her seat.

"Just great!" said Han. At that moment, Rhak entered.

"Settle down!" said Rhak "Vulnus Pyke enters" Vulnus entered and sat at the judge's seat.

"Let the trial commence" said Vulnus "Captain Solo, may I ask where your defense is?"

"Well…she…" said Han.

"Sorry I'm late, your honor" said a voice. Everyone turned to Leia who stood in the doorway with a book in her arms.

"Take a seat" said Vulnus. Leia walked over and sat next to Han.

"What took you?" asked Han.

"I was sorting through all the files over and over" replied Leia "I had to make sure that I missed nothing. Your life could very well depend on it"

"Apologizes for the late arrival, your honor" said a voice. Everyone turned their heads to Vader who stood in the doorway.

"Lord Vader!" said Vulnus "Forgive me, I was not expecting your presence"

"Do not worry, I have merely come to observe this trial for the Empire" said Vader. He took a seat. "Proceed"

"What now?" asked Han.

"Don't worry, just let me do the talking" replied Leia.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka dueled Ru-Thire through the corridors of the temple. They may have outnumbered him, but he was both incredibly skilled and incredibly savage which made it difficult. The extra blade didn't help either. Ru-Thire continuously drove them back. With a swift swipe, he knocked Ahsoka out of the way and kicked Luke forward and onto the ground.

"What a waste of potential!" said Ru-Thire. He raised his lightsaber, ready to kill Luke without a second thought. Ahsoka got herself up and was about to strike back, but she looked over at the tomb flier bats at the roof and came up with an idea. She picked up a rock and threw it at the bats, causing them to fly down and swarm around. In the confusion, Ahsoka ran over to Luke, grabbed his hand, and pulled him down the corridor and out of sight. Ru-Thire force-pushed the tomb flier bats out of the way and looked down the corridor they had disappeared down.

"This whole temple is strong with the dark side and it's making him more powerful" said Ahsoka "If we can just get out of here, we might—" Suddenly, the two of them were force-pushed forward. Ru-Thire lifted Ahsoka up and began force-choking her.

"Did you really think you could escape me in here?" snarled Ru-Thire "I could smell your Jedi stench a mile away. This temple is an element of the dark side itself; finding you in it was all too easy" Luke got himself up, ignited his lightsaber, and struck forward, only for Ru-Thire to meet his blade with his and send Luke backwards by knocking him in the face with his hilt. He then threw Ahsoka over at him and they both slammed into the wall. "Get up! At the very least you could try to die at the blade, like a true warrior" Luke blew some dust, got himself and Ahsoka up, and ran off out of the temple, being followed behind by Ru-Thire.

 _Meanwhile_

"Captain Han Solo, you have been found guilty of attacking operations of the Pyke Syndicate" said Vulnus "How do you plead"

"Not guilty, of course" said Han.

"I would be more mindful of your manners, captain" said Rhak "If you value your life, you will be respectful"

"Order!" snapped Vulnus "First, we shall present the evidence against. Rhak" Rhak got out a small holodisc and placed it within a hologram projector at the center of the room. "After the first few attacks, we set recordings for our operations afterwards. This one was captured only a month ago" A hologram of a Pyke Gozanti Cruiser appeared. Suddenly, it began to be shot continuously. Another ship zoomed passed it and finished it off with a couple more shots. "Pause" Rhak paused the recording. "Now rewind" Rhak reminded the video until the point where the ship was in frame, revealing it to be the _Millennium Falcon_. "As you can see, the _Millennium Falcon_ clearly destroyed our freighter. And we all know who the owner of that ship is. I now call upon the defense" Leia stood up.

"Your honor; I understand what you may think, but it is not so" said Leia "You see, the _Millennium Falcon_ was stolen from us by the Empire not too long ago and we only recently got it back without knowing of any of this. As you said, it was only a month ago; I looked into it further and discovered that the dates of the attacks matched up"

"What are you implying?" asked Vulnus.

"Clearly the Empire was using the _Falcon_ to disrupt your operations and they intentionally gave it back to us so Captain Solo would be framed" replied Leia

"And what precise evidence do you have that the Empire is behind this despite the dates?" asked Vulnus.

"Well—" said Leia.

"I thank you for your words, Miss Organa" said Vulnus "The defense rests. Now; I will go and decide the fate of this trial" He left his seat and exited the room.

"Wait, that's it?" said Leia "This…doesn't make any sense"

"Clearly you've never been to a Pyke trial" said Han "He made up his mind long before he entered the room. Heck; he only held this trial because he wanted my death sentence to look somewhat justified. He only let you go on for as long as you did to make it look like I had a defense"

"But you do" said Leia "This is all evidence"

"But he found a loop hole in all of it, which gives him an excuse to call it bantha fodder" said Han "This whole trial was muudabok court" It was then that someone tapped Leia on the back. She turned around to face a Pyke.

"Princess Leia Organa?" asked the Pyke.

"Yes" replied Leia.

"I am Urgui" said the Pyke "I have something to show you. Come with me"

"I'm not sure—" said Leia before Urgui pulled her in by the collar.

"Listen; it's urgent and I cannot tell you it right here" said Urgui quietly "If you want your friend to win this trial, come with me now!" He and Leia walked out of the courtroom, with Vader watching them closely.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka ran through the jungle, scaring away a flock of whisper birds. They took refuge in a small cave below a hill.

"We need to get back to the ship" said Luke.

"Agreed" said Ahsoka "But he keeps following us every step of the way"

"Are R2 and PROXY still aboard?" asked Luke.

"Last time I checked they were" replied Ahsoka.

"Then we'll just contact them to come to us" said Luke "But first we need to make sure we're not foll—" Suddenly, a double-bladed lightsaber flew down and cut down the tree in front of them causing it to come down towards them. "Get out!" They rolled out of the way as the tree fell down and crushed down the cave they were hiding in. The lightsaber flew back and landed in the hand of Ru-Thire who stood atop the hill. Luke looked through the jungle and saw that they were at the edge of more temples. "C'mon!" He and Ahsoka ran off through the forest. Ru-Thire leapt down from the hill and sprinted after them. Ahsoka quickly glimpsed back and noticed that he held a holocron on his belt.

"Luke, he's got a Jedi holocron!" said Ahsoka.

"What, where?" asked Luke.

"On his belt" replied Ahsoka "That must be why Hatana came here We need to get it off him"

"We need to get to safety first" said Luke. They passed by a browsing runyip as they ran towards another temple (this one was just a standard Yavin temple) and ran through the entrance and out of sight.

"You really think that you can escape me by simply hiding in the dark like cowards?" snarled Ru-Thire "I'll find you and then you'll see the true nature of the dark side of the Force!" He entered the temple.

 _Meanwhile_

Urgui brought Leia into the palace's archive room. He got out a hologram projector.

"I was studying the footage over and over again and couldn't find anything distinguishing, but then I decided to zoom in closer to the pilot itself and made this discovery" said Urgui. He zoomed in to the cockpit and revealed the pilot, who was certainly not Han. "I was able to reconstruct the less detailed areas of the face; but as you can see, this is clearly not Captain Solo"

"Why didn't you go forward with this?" asked Leia.

"Vulnus is too arrogant to admit a mistake like this" replied Urgui "As soon as he realized the _Millennium Falcon_ was behind these attacks, he pointed his finger towards Captain Solo without a second thought and without looking into it further. I only made the discovery recently which made it harder because he was preparing the trial"

"And what makes it different now?" asked Leia.

"Because if you show it in a trail in front of everyone he'll get cold feet about it" replied Urgui "The last thing he wants is to look foolish in front of others; and as the defense, you have all the right to use it" He ejected the holodisc and handed it to Leia. "We haven't got much time so—" Suddenly, a cable shot out which wrapped around his and pulled him back into the hands of E7-3S.

"Look what I found!" smirked E7 as he broke Urgui's neck and let his corpse drop to the floor. Leia quickly looked to the doorway and shot off towards it. "Not so fast!" He blasted after her. As soon as she reached the other side of the door, she closed it shut; only for a torch blade to drive its way through. Leia ran off just as E7 blasted down the door. "Here's E7!" He blasted towards her and pulled her off her feet, knocking the holodisc from Leia's hand. She reached for it, only for E7 to step on her hand. He picked up the holodisc and dangled it down in front of her teasingly. "Looking for this?" He broke the holodisc in half and crushed the two pieces. "Too bad!" He pointed one of his flamethrowers at Leia and charged it up. "Say hello to Alderaan for me, Princess!" Leia quickly got out her blaster and shot it. E7 stepped back shortly before his flamethrower blew, allowing Leia to get herself up and escape. E7 activated his jetpack and flew over in front of her. "Leaving so soon?" Suddenly, he was blown back by a blast. Chewbacca let out a roar as he and Corea stepped forward.

"Need help?" smirked Corea.

"Where did you guys come from?" asked Leia.

"We followed you after you disappeared with that Pyke" replied Corea "Oh; and you're welcome!"

"Let's just get out of here before he gets up" said Leia. They ran off down the hallway.

 _Meanwhile_

Han lay back in his chair and looked at the roof hopelessly. At that moment, Leia, Corea, and Chewbacca entered the room.

"Back, I see" said Han "You know, it's the waiting I just can't stand; I'm just sick of being in this fake court. So, did you get what he wanted to give you?"

"I did, but then I lost it again" said Leia.

"That's a pity" said Han "Well…looks like I'm going down; pity, this just isn't how I imagined my death to play out" Leia sighed and sat herself down, feeling something round and flat in her pocket. She reached in to find a small holodisc.

"What's that doing there?" asked Corea.

"I don't know" replied Leia "I didn't take it…with me" She recalled that when Urgui pulled her in close to talk to her that he had placed something in her pocket without her knowing. On the holodisc there was an envelope. She pulled it off, opened it up, and read the letter inside.

" _I trust you_

 _But I cannot risk the chance of the first disc being destroyed._

 _Urgui"_

"We might just have a chance" said Leia. At that moment, Vulnus returned to his seat.

"After lengthy brainstorming, I have made my verdict" said Vulnus.

"Your honor; I know the case is closed and you've rendered your verdict, but I have received some last minute evidence to support our case" said Leia.

"You dare speak to me without being spoken to?" snapped Vulnus.

"No" said Rhak "We will allow this" Leia walked up to the hologram projector and presented the holodisc. "How did you get this?"

"It was given to me by a Pyke named Urgui" replied Leia.

"Urgui?" said Rhak.

"Do you know him?" asked Leia.

"Yes; he is our advisor" replied Rhak "He's the most reliable man I know; even if he keeps things to himself at times, they're usually meant to serve a greater purpose. Where is he?"

"I'm afraid he's dead" replied Leia "We were attacked by a droid who killed him"

"Hold that disc!" snapped Vulnus "For all we know, you could be playing us"

"How would she know of Urgui?" said Rhak "If this truly is from him, then it will be reliable" He placed the holodisc within the hologram projector and it projected a hologram of Urgui.

"I am Urgui, chief advisor of the Pyke syndicate" said Urgui's hologram "Ever since it was discovered that the _Millennium Falcon_ was attacking shipments, everyone has been blaming Captain Solo. But I was curious so I decided to take a closer look at the situation; and with the assistance of holographic reconstruction, I was able to make a discovery" The video of the close-up of the _Millennium Falcon_ 's cockpit was projected, revealing the pilot.

"This is impossible!" said Vulnus "It can't be!"

"I would trust Urgui's word with my life, so I will honor his last wish" said Rhak "Vulnus Pyke, you will release Captain Solo from all charges" Vulnus sighed.

"Very well" said Vulnus "Captain Solo, you are released" Han smiled.

"Good work, your highness" smirked Han "Couldn't have done it without you"

"Pity it was merely a delaying move" said Vader. He stood up, ignited his lightsaber, and walked over to Han. "Whether or not you are trialed, I will not let you walk away from this one, Captain Solo"

"You dare raise armament in my courtroom!?" snapped Vulnus "Guards, seize him!" Pyke guards entered the room and pointed their blasters towards Vader. Vader looked around at the guards who surrounded him and gave a massive force-push, blasting all of them out of his way. "Blast him!" The guards began getting themselves up and started shooting, only for Vader to deflect their shots and fight back. Han looked over at a blaster lying next to the body of a dead guard, leapt for it, and grabbed it.

"You can't be serious?" said Leia.

"Eh; might be one of our only chances to catch this guy" smirked Han. He stood himself up and followed the Pyke guards who were only just driving Vader outside, and were only providing a challenge due to their numbers. He continuously slashed down Pyke after Pyke as he reached the outside platform of the palace. As he was busy finishing off the guards, Han snuck up to him and started firing shots which merely got deflected.

"Very unwise" said Vader. He force-pushed at Han, who merely rolled to the side and hid behind a crate for cover.

"Tell me, where you trying to bring me down because of what happened at Yavin?" asked Han "I mean, I played my part and it helped in bringing that Death Star of yours down"

"It is true that you have become a vital part of the Rebel Alliance" said Vader "Which is why I have chosen to remove you as a factor"

"Know this, dark lord" said Leia whilst stepping out with her blaster drawn "If you mess with one person in the Alliance, you mess with all of us!" Corea and Chewbacca stepped out behind her and they began shooting at Vader as well. The crowds of guards began to surround Vader and corner him off at the edge of the platform. "There's no sense to continue this, Vader. We have you outnumbered and outgunned" Vader looked around at all who surrounded him.

"This battle has grown tiresome" said Vader "But know that each and every one of your Alliance shall suffer soon enough" He stepped backwards and disappeared off the ledge.

"My god!" said Leia. Suddenly, Vader appeared again, this time on the top of his TIE Advanced x1 which was being piloted by E7.

"I hate it when they do that" said Han. Vader flew off.

 _Meanwhile_

Ru-Thire walked through the temple's hallways and into a large room, using his lightsaber to light the path for him. Luke and Ahsoka remained hidden behind two different pillars, remaining quiet and not moving a muscle. Ru-Thire turned off his lightsaber and closed his eyes, breathing in and out calmly. Suddenly, he ignited his lightsaber again and threw it towards the pillar where Luke hid. Luke ignited his lightsaber and deflected the lightsaber, but Ru-Thire summoned it back to him and lunged at Luke.

"Weakling Jedi!" snarled Ru-Thire.

"I'm not as weak as you think" said Luke.

"Really?" said Ru-Thire. He knocked Luke in the forehead with his hilt and force-pushed him into the wall. Luke reached for his lightsaber, only for Ru-Thire to step on his wrist. "It is a pity, really. Under Lord Vader's tutelage, you could've been a fine warrior. Yet you waste your potential on the light"

"I'll never follow Vader or any Sith!" said Luke.

"Then you'll die, like generations of Jedi before you!" said Ru-Thire. He raised his lightsaber, ready to smite it down on Luke.

"Let my friend go!" said Ahsoka as she charged towards Ru-Thire with her lightsaber out. She struck at him, only for him to dodge the shot, grabbed her by the back lek, and slammed her face into the wall. Ru-Thire threw her to the corner, and before she could get herself up he began force-choking her.

"You're so weak!" said Ru-Thire. Luke looked up and gasped.

"Ahsoka!" exclaimed Luke. He summoned his and Ahsoka's lightsaber to his hands and charged at Ru-Thire, who met the blades with his (and also breaking his concentration on the force-choke). He then knocked Luke in the face again with his hilt and kicked him off his feet.

"You're combat styles are simplistic and lack true skill" said Ru-Thire "Is this the best the Order has to offer now? I've killed younglings more skilled than you" He stepped back, force-pulled Luke in, and kicked him in the stomach. He then lifted Luke up by the throat. "Do you know the part I love about battle? It is when you get to truly savor it; only then does it truly become satisfying!" Suddenly, his lightsaber was slightly tugged by Ahsoka force-pulling it. But he regained his strong grip of it and force-pushed her back into a pillar. He then turned back to Luke. "But perhaps you do present more of a challenge than I anticipated" He raised his lightsaber again. "Farewell!" He swung at Luke again, but Luke desperately grabbed onto the lightsaber hilt with his hands in an attempt to drive him back. Ru-Thire forced the hilt forward to knock Luke out again, but Luke ducked this time and pulled the lightsaber from his grip. He rolled over and pulled Ahsoka back, who extended out her hand and summoned the holocron towards her. The holocron was ripped from his belt and landed in Ahsoka's hand.

"I'm not in the mood to continue this fight, Ru-Thire" said Luke "Stop now and we can figure something out"

"Figure something out?" snarled Ru-Thire.

"I don't know how you got into Vader's service, but you don't have to continue it" said Luke "The Sith will only use you for their own goals. Everything they tell you is a lie. Let us help you" Ru-Thire bared his teeth.

"No!" snarled Ru-Thire "I will not surrender to Jedi filth like you! NEVER!" He force-gripped the ceiling and walls around him and began to pull them vigorously.

"The whole place is going to collapse!" said Ahsoka.

"Let's get out of here!" said Luke. They quickly ran out of the room, through the hallways, and finally out the entrance of the temple, just before the entire interior collapsed down with Ru-Thire still inside.

"Luke, are you alright?" asked Ahsoka.

"Yeah, I'm fine" replied Luke "Just a little beaten up. You?"

"The same" replied Ahsoka. She looked at the holocron in her hands. "And it looks like we've got ourselves something" Luke looked back at the temple and then looked at the double-bladed lightsaber in his hand. "Are you alright, Skyguy?"

"Ru-Thire may have succumbed to his hate, but letting him die just doesn't feel right" replied Luke. He stuck the double-bladed lightsaber at the end of the rubble.

 _Meanwhile_

Vader's TIE Advanced x1 entered the hanger of the _Executor_ and he got out, with E7 following him. The two of them walked out of the hanger and into the hallways towards the bridge. Piett walked up to him.

"Lord Vader, good to have you back" said Piett "How was your mission?"

"Unsuccessful" replied Vader "But given time, a new opportunity will present itself" They reached the door to the bridge

"We had a bit of a situation whilst you were gone, I'm afraid" said Piett. The doors to the bridge opened up. Sheotah stood triumphantly with a blaster in his hands and all the Imperial officers and stormtroopers hostage. Bane and two commando droids stood beside.

"Ah; so the guest of honor has arrived" smirked Sheotah.

"Sheotah, what is the meaning of this?" asked Vader.

"While you were gone, I had the bounty hunter take control of the bridge" said Sheotah. He looked over at E7. "I see you've taken my droid for yourself; no matter, I can afford another. Now that you're here, we can begin"

"You're playing a very dangerous game" said Vader.

"Don't bother" said Sheotah "You lay one hand on me and my bounty hunter will blow you across this galaxy" Bane rolled his pupiless eyes. "But don't worry, it's no big deal; it is a matter of payment, that's all"

"I gave you payment for your service" said Vader.

"Those were mere credits" said Sheotah "I'd expect from someone simple like a small time crime lord or business; but you are the Emperor's dog, which means there's a bigger payment to have"

"Explain yourself" said Vader.

"Very well; for thousands of years, there was a grand Zygerrian Slave Empire" said Sheotah "It was my peoples' magnum opus; our shipments and sales were enough to rival the Hutts. But the Jedi came and took us down. During the Clone Wars, our queen was able to bring reestablish our Empire with the backing of the Separatists; only for the Jedi and the Republic to interfere again. After the incident on Sleheyron, I'm not going to let those Jedi dogs ruin anything ever again"

"What are you implying?" asked Vader.

"It's simple" replied Sheotah "As supreme commander of the Imperial army, you hold a good many worlds in your grasp; and many of them have weak but numerous races that merely exist to serve the strong. I want access these systems to start up my slave empire. Don't worry; our partnership shall continue, and I'll be a greater asset to you. Understood?"

"I understand perfectly" replied Vader "You were unsatisfied with your payment and want something. Very well; I shall give you a **different** payment" Sheotah smirked.

"See, it wasn't hard" said Sheotah "You're a reasonable man, Vader" Suddenly, Vader grabbed him by the wrist and twisted it downwards, knocking the blaster from his hand. He then pushed him into a group of stormtroopers. "What are you doing?!"

"Hold him still" said Vader. Two stormtroopers grabbed hold of Sheotah's arms and held him in place.

"I thought we had a deal!" snarled Sheotah as he struggled. He looked over at Bane. "What are you waiting for, bounty hunter; shoot them!" Bane merely gave him a cold look. "I'm paying you, remember!?" Vader ignited his lightsaber and held it near Sheotah's neck. "I was wrong; I understand that it wasn't my place to do that. But please, show mercy" Vader didn't reply. "PLEASE! I'm begging you! I'll do anything; just pl—" With a swift swing, Vader cut off his head and it flew across the room.

"What should we do with the remains, my lord?" asked Piett.

"Deal with the body anyway you want" replied Vader "But I'll keep the head" He turned towards Bane.

"Curious; he was paying you, yet you did not come to his aide" said Vader.

"I had already been payed, he was merely pushing it out" said Bane "Besides; I could never stand him anyway. I'm guessing this is the part where I'm accused of treason"

"You are merely a bounty hunter" said Vader "I'll let you go, this time" Bane left with his commando droids following him.

"Admiral" said Vader.

"Yes, Lord Vader" said Ozzel.

"Tell me, where was Emerl Hatana in all of this?" asked Vader,

"Nowhere, my lord" replied Ozzel.

"Nowhere?" said Vader.

"Yes; it's strange" said Ozzel "She was nowhere to be seen aboard the ship, even when Sheotah attacked" Vader looked off down the hallway.

 _Meanwhile_

The _Rogue Shadow_ flew off of Yavin 4. Luke entered the cockpit.

"Just made contact with Kota" said Luke whilst sitting himself down "I told him about everything that happened today, including the holocron. Are you certain that it's a real one this time?"

"Completely" replied Ahsoka "I can feel it" She looked over at Luke and realized that he seemed distant.

"Something's eating at you, Luke" said Ahsoka.

"I'm fine" replied Luke "Just a little shaken"

"No, it's something more" said Ahsoka "It's something about Ru-Thire, isn't it?"

"I don't know what it is; I know that he was aligned with the dark side, but I felt that deep down…there was something" said Luke.

"What exactly was it?" asked Ahsoka.

"I'm not sure" replied Luke "It was…a bright spot. There was something in his life that had meaning besides the anger and hatred. I don't know what it is, but it made his death uneasy"

"Sometimes even the most irredeemable enemies have a redeeming factor" said Ahsoka "Were you able to find any information on him from Kota?"

"Only one thing; Kota believes him to be an Imperial Inquisitor" replied Luke.

"What's an Inquisitor?" asked Ahsoka.

"Kota told me that they are an elite and elusive division of dark side users founded by Darth Vader to hunt down Jedi and find Force-sensitive children"

"If the Empire has an army of Force-sensitive assassins, why haven't seen any until now?" asked Ahsoka.

"Apparently they rarely partake on the frontlines, rather they are given vital missions that Vader or his acolytes are unavailable to do. And they're not an army, rather a group of agents"

"Where did they come from?" asked Ahsoka.

"Fallen Jedi, Dark Jedi, even Force-sensitive children who were taken by the Empire" replied Luke "Vader must have sent Ru-Thire to find Jedi holocrons and other artefacts"

"The Empire sure loves to turn the Force against the Jedi" said Ahsoka "If Vader, Hatana, and General Krenin weren't enough, now there's a whole group of dark side agents. Did Kota tell you anything else?"

"Apparently back on Corellia, Borsk Fey'lya has been arrested on the grounds of treason" said Luke. Ahsoka's eyes widened.

"How?" asked Ahsoka.

"Chief-of-State Sarke claims that he's suspected of being involved with the underworld" replied Luke "It feels a little abrupt if you ask me"

 _Meanwhile on Coruscant_

Bane entered his apartment and instantly froze as soon as he saw Todo 360 lying on the ground motionless and slightly charred.

"Don't worry, he's not too badly damaged" said a voice "I'm sure someone of your caliber is able to repair him easily" Bane drew his blasters out. "There's no need for aggression, bounty hunter. I'm not here to fight" Out of the shadows stepped the Nightsister Carth'la.

"Who are you?" said Bane with his blasters pointed at her.

"I am merely a servant for a higher cause" said Carth'la "The Master wants your assistance, Cad Bane" Bane narrowed his eyes.

 **Author's note #1** : The temple Ru-Thire was resting in was the Temple of Exar Kun.

 **Author's note #2** : I was originally intending E7-3S to be an insectoid alien but I felt that it was merely pushing the Empire's Non-Human disdain. It's a rule that can be bent but not truly broken, and I hope to keep it that way.


	6. Specters of the Force

**Specters of the Force**

 _Storm above Ithor! A carpet bombing led by General Krenin has left the planet Ithor, homeworld of the peaceful Ithorian race, badly damaged! Fortunately, the Rebel Alliance was able to scare them off before they could do anything worse. To help rebuild the devastated villages, Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, long with Admiral Ackbar, have arrived to oversee the start of the restoration._

 _Meanwhile, the Sith Lord Darth Vader has travelled to the desert world of Tatooine for mysterious reasons that could alter the turn of the war forever…_

 _Ithor_

Luke and Ahsoka helped unload crates from a CR90 corvette. Ahsoka looked around at the damaged village and the Ithorians inhabiting it.

"Just look at this place" said Ahsoka "It reminds me of what the Empire did to my people; why would they do this to them?"

"To prove a point to the Rebellion" said Luke "They don't care who gets hurt, just as long as they do it"

 _Meanwhile_

Han, Chewbacca, and Corea unloaded crates of supplies off of the _Millennium Falcon_.

"Here we are; unloading food and medical supplies for the Hammerheads" said Han.

"You weren't so flustered back on Shili" said Corea.

"Meaning?" said Han.

"Meaning that you have a soft spot for these kinds of people" replied Corea "The ones who are looked down and spat upon. Can't say I blame you; the things entire civilizations go through because of these Imperial scum is enough to make my blood boil"

"I still don't know what you're talking about" said Han.

"I'm just saying that you could've just passed through that town, but you didn't" said Corea "You helped those people out and they're better because of it"

"It was connected to the mission" said Han "I was only—"

"Following your duty?" smirked Corea.

"Well…I wouldn't exactly say that" replied Han "More so…eh, forget it. Point is, I can take them or leave them" It was then that he felt a small tug on his leg. He looked down to see a small Ithorian child looking up at him. "What are you looking at?" The Ithorian child turned his head from side to side in confusion with no reply. "What do you want?" The Ithorian child still didn't reply.

"I don't think he understands you" said Corea "It's their homeworld, perhaps they only know their own language"

"Right, right" said Han "Are you fluent in Ithorese?"

"Sorry, can't help you there" replied Corea.

"Chewie?" said Han. Chewbacca just shrugged his shoulders. "And what's that supposed to mean?" Chewbacca growled in response. "Really, ever thought that at least one of us should be fluent in Non-Basic languages?" Chewbacca growled in response. "Alright, alright; keep your fur on, sheesh! The one time I wanted 3PO present" He looked down at the Ithorian child again. "Is it food you want?" The Ithorian child blinked twice. Han raised an eyebrow. "Guess that means "yes"" He pulled open a crate and picked a small fruit out of it. "You want this?" He handed it to the Ithorian child. "Here, take it" After a moment's hesitation, the Ithorian child grabbed the fruit and began eating. "You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to the whole "double-mouth" thing" He turned back to the crates to continue unloading.

"Uh, I hope you have more food in that crate" said Corea. Han turned around to see lots of Ithorian children gathering around him.

"Okay; that was a one-off, it doesn't mean you're all going to get some" said Han. The Ithorian children didn't reply. "Oh, right. Okay then…" He reached into the crate and pulled out more fruit. "Who wants—" An Ithorian children grabbed onto his arm. "Woah!" All the Ithorian children began to swarm all over him. "Eh; settle down, settle down! I'm sure there's enough for all of you; just give me some space, okay!" Chewbacca giggled. "Hilarious, isn't it? Remind me to laugh at you when you get into one of these situations"

"I think they like you" said Corea.

"A little too much" said Han "Geez, it's like that time I fell into that swarm of womp rats"

"You know; maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day you're going to make the best dad ever" smirked Corea.

"Oh yeah; well, that's never going to happen" said Han.

 _Meanwhile_

"This is absolutely horrible" said C-3PO "Poor Ithorians; I mean, it's not their fault that the Empire has had its shortcomings recently" R2 beeped. "Of course I know what true suffering feels like; all the things I've been at the mercy at…ehhh, I'm surprised I'm still in one piece" R2 turned around and started moving off. "Where are you going?" R2 didn't reply. "R2, where are you going?" R2 beeped in response. "Seeing if Master Luke needs help? Well, you're not going anywhere without me. Wait up!" R2 beeped. "And why do you keep going on about some relief mission to the planet Aleen? We've never even been to the system"

 _Meanwhile_

Ackbar walked up Luke and Ahsoka.

"This all reminds me of what the Empire did to my people years back" said Ackbar "The memory still haunts me to this day" At that moment, a rebel trooper walked up to him.

"Admiral, we've received a transmission from the planet's council" said the rebel trooper "They want to know of the progress"

"Bring them up" said Ackbar.

"Yes sir" replied the rebel trooper. He placed the hologram projector on the ground and brought up a hologram of an Ithorian councilman.

"Greetings; I am Admiral Gial Ackbar of the Rebel Alliance, we are at your service" said Ackbar. The Ithorian councilman replied something in Ithorese. Ackbar turned to the rebel trooper. "Are there any translators present?"

"Not at the moment, I'm afraid" replied the rebel trooper "But we could—" At that moment, R2 entered and beeped.

"Master Luke, R2 was so eager to see you" said C-3PO who followed behind "I'm not sure why exactly, but—"

"3PO, just the droid I was wanted to see" said Luke "Question: can you speak Ithorese?"

"Why yes" replied C-3PO "After all, I am fluent in over six million forms of communication—"

"Good, because we need you to translate for us" said Luke. C-3PO turned to the hologram of the Ithorian councilman and said something in Ithorese. The Ithorian councilman replied in Ithorese.

"He is Councilman Hyuw of the planet's elected council and he hopes that the damage the Empire cause won't affect the planet permanently" said C-3PO

"Tell him that we're doing everything we can for his people" said Ackbar. C-3PO translated it to Ithorese. Hyuw responded in Ithorese.

"Councilman Hyuw says that when his people are strong again they will be able to restore the planet from the devastation of the bombings" said C-3PO.

"Tell him—" said Ackbar. Luke began to zone out of what they were saying when he felt a strange feeling around him. He turned to see a small grove area which appeared to be comprised of dying plants. He walked towards it and entered with Ahsoka noticing his movement.

"Skyguy?" said Ahsoka. Luke walked through the grove until he reached a small clearing at the center and found the source of the strange feeling. An Umbaran man wearing black robes sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, and he appeared to be meditating. Luke froze where he stood at the sight of him. The Umbaran slowly opened his eyes, looked up, and grinned.

"You think you know the Force?" said the Umbaran "You haven't even touched upon the notion of the dark side" Suddenly, black mist swirled around the clearing; and by the time it had cleared, he had vanished. Luke felt like he should gasp but found that he just couldn't.

"Skyguy?" said a voice "You okay?" Luke turned to see Ahsoka standing there. "You look like you've seen a ghost"

"Something like that" said Luke. Ahsoka looked around them.

"There's something off about this place" said Ahsoka "All the plants are dying"

"It's like something out of a nightmare" said Luke.

 _The next morning_

Luke lay asleep in a tent when he felt someone give him a slight nudge.

"Hey Skyguy, wake up" said a voice. Luke opened his eyes to see Ahsoka standing before him and immediately pulled the planet over him.

"Hey, I'm not—" said Luke.

"Decent?" said Ahsoka "Better get some clothes on then, we're heading off"

"But what about the relief mission?" asked Luke.

"Apparently Byph and Councilman Bendon are coming" replied Ahsoka "Since they're both Ithorians, it's better if they handle it" After Ahsoka had left the tent, Luke got himself dressed and walked out of his tent and towards the _Nu_ -class attack shuttle that Ahsoka stood outside of. As he walked over, he looked back on the grove from before and noticed that the plants were now healthy and green.

 _Meanwhile on Tatooine_

Vader's TIE Advanced x1 came out of hyperspace above the desert planet and slowly descended down to land. Vader stepped out slowly and looked out over the landscape. He began remembering the deafening calls of Tusken Raiders from long ago, but he ignored them and walked forward.

"Remember this from long ago, Anakin?" said a voice. Vader stopped in his tracks when the ghostly form of Qui-Gon Jinn materialized in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" said Vader

"I made a promise long ago to train you as a Jedi, a promise that fate cut away from me" said Qui-Gon "Please, Anakin; it's not too late to turn back"

"That name means nothing to me" said Vader whilst walking past Qui-Gon.

"Anakin; heed my warning, what you're trying to do will not bring you peace" said Qui-Gon.

"I do not search for peace" said Vader.

 _Meanwhile on Home One_

As _Home One_ zoomed through hyperspace, Han, Chewbacca, and Corea walked down the corridor towards the mess hall.

"I don't about you, but I'm ready for a quiet night in" said Han.

"We're in space, we don't exactly have a night and day" said Corea.

"Eh, you know what I mean" said Han. As he walked up to the door to the mess hall door, it opened to reveal Latts Razzi standing there.

"Well, look who turned up" said Latts.

"Latts, what are you doing here?" said Han.

"Same reason as you, I'm hitching a ride back to Corellia" said Latts "Before you ask, we can discuss things over a drink. C'mon in, they're on me" Han, Chewbacca, and Corea entered the mess hall.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke was in a room that had been fashioned into a gym. He hung upside-down from a pair of rings and pulled himself up and down.

"I thought I'd find you here, Skyguy" said Ahsoka as she entered.

"Couldn't find anything else to do…so I decided to come here" said Luke.

"I still can't believe Ackbar had a gym built on the ship" said Ahsoka.

"I requested it myself" said Luke. He leapt off and landed on a matt. "Shortly after I joined; I figured that since I was going to be a Jedi, I may as well have the physique for it" Only just realizing that Luke was wearing a singlet that showed off his muscles, Ahsoka covered the bottom of her face to hide the color that materialized on it.

"I suppose that makes sense" said Ahsoka.

 _Meanwhile_

"Admiral, you may want to see this" said a Mon Calamari officer. Ackbar walked over to him.

"What is it?" asked Ackbar.

"Something is wrong with the hyperdrive" replied the Mon Calamari officer "For some reason; we're slowing down and coming out of hyperspace before we've even reached the destination"

"This makes no sense" said Ackbar "Have you contacted engineering?"

"I have, and they've found nothing wrong" replied the Mon Calamari officer. Ackbar stroked his chin.

"Alert everyone aboard" said Ackbar "Tell them to come to the bridge immediately" Suddenly, the ship came out of hyperspace abruptly.

 _Meanwhile_

The force of the halt was so abrupt that Luke rammed into Ahsoka head first and the two collapsed onto the ground.

 _Meanwhile_

As Ackbar got himself up, he noticed that all the lights had gone off. He got out a small torch from his belt and turned it on.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Ackbar.

"We're alive, so that's one thing" said the Mon Calamari officer.

"What's happened to the lights?" asked Ackbar. The Mon Calamari officer sat himself up on his seat to check his panel but found that it was inactive.

"It seems that all power is off" replied the Mon Calamari officer "We can't inform the rest of the ship"

"Then we'll just have to search for everyone and bring them back here" said Ackbar "Be on alert, this could be a trap by the Imperials"

 _Meanwhile_

"AHHHHHH!" screamed C-3PO who had fallen over "We're dying! We're dying! We're dead! We're dead!" A light shone in his face as R2 rolled up to him and beeped. "How can I relax after this? That jolt was so sudden, and where's all the power gone?" R2 beeped. "Stay here? And wait for something horrible to turn up? No; we have to find Master Luke before something finds us. AH!" A bright light from down the hallway shone on him. "Please; don't hurt us! Whoever you are, we're not who you're looking for"

"Good to see you're still yourself, 3PO" said a voice.

"Wait; I know that voice" said C-3PO "Captain Solo?" Han stepped forward with a torch in his hand and with Chewbacca, Corea, and Latts standing behind him. "How did you find us?"

"We could hear you if you were halfway across the galaxy" replied Han "Chewie, help him up" Chewbacca walked over to C-3PO and pulled him up.

"Where is Master Luke?" asked C-3PO.

"I think I know which room he's in" replied Han "This way; I have a rough idea on the ship's layout"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke got himself up and found himself lying on top of Ahsoka. The two found themselves feeling rather rigid and couldn't move even an inch. Suddenly, a bright light shone on both them. The two looked over to see Han holding his torch at them with a slight smirk across his face.

"Well…leave you alone for a few minutes without any lighting and look we're you've gotten" smirked Han.

"It's not what you think" said Luke while pulling himself off of Ahsoka.

"Sure, anything you say" said Han.

"What happened?" asked Ahsoka.

"Ship's stopped and all power's gone" replied Han "Don't know what's wrong, but the Admiral might know; so we're heading to the bridge. C'mon, you lovebirds; let's get goin'" Luke and Ahsoka sighed simultaneously as they got themselves up and followed Han out into the hallway, with Luke grabbing his jacket and pulling it on.

"Admiral, do you read me?" said Ahsoka into her comlink. There was no reply. "Admiral?"

"Already tried that, didn't work" said Han "Not even our comlinks are working"

"Life support must be working though" said Luke.

"As far as we can tell, yes" said Han "But I wouldn't place all my eggs in that basket. From what I can recall, the bridge is down this way. Remember to stick together; if any of us gets lost, you can be lost for a long time. Follow me"

"Oh dear!" said C-3PO.

 _Meanwhile_

Vader walked up a sand dune where at the top it overlooked a large Tusken Raider enclave. He walked down the sand dune towards the enclave, ignoring the banthas that began surrounding him slowly. A large massiff lay asleep and snoring outside the enclave when its nose began to twitch at an unfamiliar scent. The large reptile shot up and began barking loudly at the approaching Vader and thus alerting its masters. At first, all that could be identified with the Tusken Raiders were their shrill calls and screams from inside the enclave; but then, countless Tusken Raiders came rushing out wielding their gaffi sticks and screaming their distinguishable cry. Vader ignited his lightsaber and held it in an aggressive manner towards them.

"Stand down!" said a voice. As the Tusken Raiders lowered their gaffi sticks, a figure wrapped in sandy-brown rags from head to toe approached Vader. "Dark Lord, I never thought I'd find you here on all of Tatooine"

"I have come for a reason" said Vader.

"Yes, you have" said the figure "Inside" He and the Tusken Raiders walked back towards the enclave with Vader following them. The massiff growled at Vader at first, until he approached him causing him to whimper down.

 _Meanwhile_

"From what I recall, it's just up ahead" said Han as they reached the elevator to the bridge.

"One problem: without power, the elevator won't work" said Corea. Han looked back and forth between the elevator and the rest of them.

"We'll just have to get it" said Han "Hey Luke; do you think your lightsaber can cut through it?"

"It can cut through pretty much anything" replied Luke "Certainly worth a try" He walked up to the elevator doors, ignited his lightsaber, and began to cut through it.

"And once we're through, what then?" asked Latts.

"We'll figure something out" said Han.

"That's it?" said Corea "Figure something out? Han, we have to think this through before leaping into it"

"You're beginning to sound like Leia" said Han.

"You mean common sense, right?" said Corea "We're just going to find ourselves in an even bigger jam than before until eventually we reach something we can't get out of" Suddenly, as Luke opened up the elevator doors, black mist poured out of it and surrounded them like a cloak.

"What the heck is that?" said Han.

"It's all around us" said Ahsoka.

"What is?" asked C-3PO.

"Guys…we have to…stick together" said Luke. There was no reply from anyone. "Guys?" As the mist began to clear, Luke found himself in a large featureless room with no one else in sight. "This is strange" He walked from around the walls of the room in search of a way to get out but couldn't find any. Suddenly, the room slowly began to shift around him and take the form of a large hanger bay. He found himself standing just outside the _Millennium Falcon_ where blue and red lights flashed behind him. He turned around to see Vader dueling with a hooded figure who wielded a blue lightsaber. As the two came to stand still with their blades locked, the figure peered to the side and Luke immediately recognized his face as that of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke immediately began to remember the fateful day on the Death Star; and before he could even react, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and lifted his lightsaber up, allowing Vader to slice through him. He immediately vanished; the only things remaining were his cloak and his lightsaber. "NO!" Vader briefly checked the cloak. He then turned his attention back towards Luke who ignited his lightsaber within an instant. However; there was something else different this time…Obi-Wan hadn't said anything afterwards. Vader raised his lightsaber and threw it at Luke; and the two lightsabers hit, creating a blinding light that covered everything.

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka got herself up and found herself in a large chamber. After a moment's hesitation, she realized that she was in the middle of the ruined Jedi Temple. The temple seemed mainly black except for the red sky in the background.

"No; not this again" said Ahsoka.

"Oh, it is much different this time" said a familiar voice. Ahsoka turned around to see a sight she had never expected to find; Asajj Ventress stood before her with both her lightsabers drawn and ignited.

"Ventress!" said Ahsoka "What are you doing here?!"

"Perhaps that's a question you should ask yourself" said Ventress. She leapt towards Ahsoka who attempted to ignite her lightsaber and defend herself, only to find that they were missing from her belt.

"Shoot!" said Ahsoka. She leapt to the side as Ventress shot at her.

 _Meanwhile_

Han pulled himself up. He found himself against two marble walls which appeared to form a passageway.

"Okay; now this is just strange" said Han "I always seem to end up on the wrong planet at the wrong time" He walked down the passageway, unaware that the whole area was a large labyrinth made entirely of marble and that appeared to have no end.

 _Meanwhile_

The figure brought Vader into his quarters, away from the other Tusken Raiders.

"I was surprised to learn that you had taught them how to understand Basic" said Vader.

"I may have learnt how to understand their language, but it is still hard to reproduce" said the figure. He removed the rags around his face, revealing himself to be an elderly Korun Human man with greyish hair that extended to his facial hair. "I know that you have come here for a reason; you would not come to this planet unless absolutely necessary"

"I am in search of a Jedi Master" said Vader "Perhaps you have heard of him—Master Yoda"

"And why would you need my help?" asked the man "Isn't the army the Empire has constructed big enough to take on one single Jedi, even one as powerful as the Grand Master?"

"Mur Vadde, I know that you have explored the Force in ways that the Jedi couldn't even dream of" said Vader "Master Yoda has cloaked himself beyond even the Emperor's eyes for more than twenty years. Out of all the survivors of Order 66, he was perhaps the most elusive, even more so than Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have tried many things in the past but they have not worked"

"And you have come seeking my help to find another way" said Vadde "You are fortunate that I have chosen to take a neutral stance on the Jedi-Sith conflict. If I believed in the Jedi Code, I would have every last one of the Sand People tear you apart"

"Tuskens are nothing than animals" said Vader "They'd be too easy to kill"

"They're smarter than you give them credit for" said Vadde "For your sake, it would be better to remember that"

"It is because of that neutral stance that you're even alive at all" said Vader "If you had no value to me, I would have bombed this whole enclave years ago. Now show me the power to find what I am looking for"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke found himself now in a dystopic landscape. He looked around. Vader was nowhere to be seen. Keeping his lightsaber active, he walked forward cautiously and looked around for any sign of anyone. It was then that he noticed what appeared to be a body lying up ahead. He rushed over to check it out; and when he turned it onto its side, he got a great shock of who it was.

"Leia!" said Luke. Leia lay lifeless on the ground. "No!" He looked up and saw that the dead bodies of other people surrounded him. "NO!" The bodies of Han, Chewbacca, Corea, Kota, Rachi Sitra, K'Kruhk, Maris Brood, and Ackbar lay around him, all of whom appeared to have stabbed by a lightsaber.

"Luke…" said a withered voice. Luke turned to see a badly injured Ahsoka crawling towards him.

"Ahsoka!" exclaimed Luke. He rushed over to her. "Are you alright?"

"I…I'm hurt…" coughed Ahsoka.

"What happened?" asked Luke.

"It was horrible…" replied Ahsoka "He was unprepared…he came in and…he killed everyone…"

"Who did?" asked Luke.

"Luke…I'll always…" said Ahsoka shortly before a red blade came through her neck. Standing just above her was Vader.

"Vader…this…this can't be real!" said Luke.

"And who are you to judge, boy?" said Vader "I am what you fear most, aren't I?" Suddenly, the image of the Umbaran on Ithor flickered over Vader in an instant. Luke pointed his lightsaber towards him. "Do you really wish to engage me in combat? I know you're too fearful to even stand a chance"

"Maybe we'll put it to the test?" said Luke.

"Tell me: is it worse to take vengeance, or to have vengeance taken from you?" said Vader "You never get to truly feel the satisfaction of making those who did you wrong pay" Suddenly, he turned into a swarm of bats and flew away, swarming around Luke in the process.

 _Meanwhile_

"You've grown even softer in my absence" said Ventress.

"You're not really here, Ventress" said Ahsoka "Whatever it is, it isn't actually you"

"Really?" said Ventress. She force-pushed Ahsoka into a pillar. "That is amusing" Ahsoka leapt back onto her feet and leapt up onto a ledge, only for Ventress to leap after her and block her off.

"What are you really?" said Ahsoka.

"I am your nightmare incarnated" replied Ventress "All of the things you cannot comprehend, the fear that lurks at the back of your mind, every regret you have ever had…" Suddenly, her head turned completely around like an owl. Black hair poured over the back of her head; and as it parted, it revealed a yellow face with black markings and a pair of yellow eyes.

"Barriss!" said Ahsoka. Barriss laughed evilly and kicked her off of the ledge. As she got herself up, Barriss leapt down after her.

"I was right about the Jedi the whole time" said Barriss "They were but a shell of their former self, a shelf that had become filled with lies and poison. What the Emperor and Vader did was basically merciful"

"And you're any better?" said Ahsoka "Look at yourself; you've a mockery of everything you once were. You were once a Jedi Knight, a healer, a hero; now you're a killer without any morals. Master Unduli would be disgusted by what you've become"

"If anything it was the Jedi who did this did to me" said Barriss "And I am much more than a killer. I am a dark lady…" Her cloak began to wrap around her until she was completely. Suddenly, the cloak was blasted back, turning into a tattered cape. What stood before Ahsoka now seemed to be a Human woman who was dressed in a grey outfit with black markings. Much of her head was hidden behind a large cloth-like wrap that formed and upside triangle; all that was visible of her face was her large green eyes, the left one of which had a large scar over it. In her hand she held a lightsaber hilt, but it multiple extensions that resembled mechanical tentacles coiled up on it, making it look like a whip.

"Who are you?" asked Ahsoka. The dark lady didn't reply, but instead ignited her lightwhip, her extensions blazing a bright shade of yellow. She lunged at Ahsoka and knocked her off her feet. As Ahsoka lay on the ground, she found a lightsaber lying in front of her. She grabbed a hold of it and ignited its blue blade, using it to deflect the attacks of the dark lady.

 _Meanwhile_

As Han walked further through the labyrinth when he heard a familiar jetpack noise. Suddenly, Boba Fett flew down from the sky and landed in front of him.

"Look what I've found" said Fett.

"What are you doing here, Fett?" said Han.

"Collecting a bounty, that's what" said Fett. He pulled out his blaster rifle and shot at Han. Han dodged to the side, pulled out his blaster, and began shooting at Fett, getting a blaster bolt in the arm in the process.

"This just isn't my day, is it?" said Han to himself "Where's Chewie when you need him?" He then looked over at a hole in the ground that had just appeared. "Now that's convenient" He rolled to the side and went down the hole. The bottom of the hole was dark and featureless. "Well; all things consider, another great escape"

"Really?" said a voice. Han turned to his left to see Cad Bane standing next to him with his blaster aimed at him.

"I've got you now" said Aurra Sing who stood to Han's right.

"It's just one of those days, isn't it?" said Han.

 _Meanwhile_

Ackbar and a group of Mon Calamari officers scaled down the elevator shaft using cables.

"Almost there" said Ackbar "Mind the drop" The Mon Calamari officer who was nearest to the bottom scaled down and landed on the ground. He walked over to the entrance for the floor.

"The entrance has been opened" said the Mon Calamari officer.

"What do you mean?" asked Ackbar.

"Something's melted it through" replied the Mon Calamari "Like a fusioncutter"

"Or a lightsaber" said Ackbar.

"Whatever it is, at least it's a sign of—" said the Mon Calamari officer.

"Oh thank the maker!" exclaimed a voice. C-3PO and R2 came rushing to the entrance. "Finally someone to help us"

"What are you two doing down there?" asked Ackbar.

"We were travelling with Captain Solo and the others" replied C-3PO "We were trying to get to the bridge; but when we got to the elevator, everyone went crazy for reason. They kept babbling on and started shooting the walls and such. At least we got out of the way in time" R2 beeped. "We're hardly any help to Master Luke if we're in pieces"

"Where are they now?" asked Ackbar.

"They went off out the hallways and we lost track of where they were going" replied C-3PO "I don't what's happening, but I have a bad feeling about—"

"Wha-What!" exclaimed the Mon Calamari officer "What's happening?!"

"Major, are you alright?" asked Ackbar. The Mon Calamari officer didn't reply. "Major, are you alright?"

"No!" exclaimed the Mon Calamari officer "Stay back! Stay back!" He got out his blaster and pointed it in the direction of C-3PO and R2.

"Oh my!" exclaimed C-3PO.

"I'm warning you to stay back!" said the Mon Calamari officer. He fired a shot between C-3PO and R2.

"OH!" exclaimed C-3PO. Ackbar sighed.

"I think we have no other choice" said Ackbar. He pulled out his blaster, set it to stun, and shot the Mon Calamari officer. "No one else set foot on the ground. Whatever affected the others affected him. R2-D2, can you help him up; we'll examine him back at the bridge" R2 beeped positively.

 _Meanwhile_

"There are techniques within the Force that allow you to find other individuals, no matter where they are in the galaxy" said Vadde "You do not even need to know where they already are, you just need to be familiar enough with their presence"

"I spent the first years of my life within the Jedi Order, I am familiar with the presence of Master Yoda" said Vader.

"But he has already evaded the Empire for all these years" said Vadde "He may be a greater challenge. If you really want to enhance your skill with it, you'll need an amplifier" He got out a satchel, pulled out a small purple crystal, and handed it to Vader. "This Force crystal will amplify your connection to the Force. Practice with it until you deem yourself ready. Track someone who is easier to find"

"I have practiced such techniques before" replied Vader "I was able to get a brief sight"

"Use your full concentration" said Vadde "Fully focus on one's presence. When you find them, you need to defeat them; or you will not know where they are" Vader was silent after that, meditating with full concentration. He focused on the presence of someone whom he had become familiar with, someone to use as a test.

"The boy…" said Vader.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke sat on the ground, holding the dead body of Ahsoka and could barely breathe. His eyes were closed tight and were sobbing uncontrollably.

"How could this happen?" said Luke to himself "How could I let this happen?"

"You didn't" said a voice "It is all an illusion" Luke looked up to see Obi-Wan approaching him.

"Ben…" said Luke "Ben, what's happening?"

"You've become entrapped within an illusion" replied Obi-Wan "What you are seeing is your worst nightmares brought to life, in a manner of speaking"

"How?" asked Luke.

"The Force is capable of such things" replied Obi-Wan "Someone is causing this, someone on the ship"

"How can I get out?" asked Luke.

"Unless whoever is causing this is brought out of concentration, you're only hope is to get of the vicinity" replied Obi-Wan "But since you have no idea where you're physical body is going, that may prove to be very difficult" Suddenly, the whole environment around them began to crack like glass and shatter, leaving behind a starry sky background. Vader materialized in front of him.

"I found you at last, boy" said Vader.

"You're not really here, Vader" said Luke "You're just an illusion" Suddenly, Vader force-gripped him and threw him across the landscape.

"I am far from an illusion, boy" said Vader. He ignited his lightsaber and Luke followed suit.

 _Meanwhile_

The Mon Calamari major awoke. He looked down and found himself strapped to a chair.

"Wh-What happened?" asked the Mon Calamari major. A Mon Calamari officer walked over to him and waved his hand over his face.

"He seems to be alright, admiral" said the Mon Calamari officer. Ackbar walked over to the first Mon Calamari major.

"Tell me, major; what happened down there?" asked Ackbar "You started shooting at something"

"Didn't any of you see it?" asked the Mon Calamari major "The Karkarodon was attacking us. I had to do something"

"There was no Karkarodon" said Ackbar.

"But it appeared as soon as the black mist cleared" said the Mon Calamari major.

"Black mist?" said Ackbar "I didn't see that either" R2 started beeping. "What is he saying?"

"R2 says that the others kept going on about something surrounded them" replied C-3PO "He thinks that they're could be a connection"

"And you didn't see any black mist?" asked Ackbar.

"No sir" replied C-3PO.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't affect droids" said Ackbar "And you can't see it until you are in its vicinity"

"Should we use the environmental suits?" asked a Mon Calamari officer.

"We have no idea whether it's a chemical or something else entirely" said Ackbar "All we know is that it doesn't affect droids. C-3PO, R2-D2, I need you two to go and get the others back. Takes this blaster; don't worry, it's set to stun" Ackbar threw his blaster at R2 who caught it and beeped.

"Oh dear!" said C-3PO.

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka desperately tried to drive the dark lady back, but the lightwhip made it extremely difficult. As the battle continued, Ahsoka found herself in a corner. As the dark lady swirled up her lightwhip and ready to strike her down, Ahsoka closed her eyes and readied her lightsaber. However, nothing happened. As Ahsoka opened her eyes, she found that the dark lady was frozen.

"What in the—" said Ahsoka. At that moment, a blinding light came down from the sky. As it descended down, it took the form of a young woman in a large white dress and long green hair. He skin was so light colored that it was almost glowing.

"Hello Ahsoka" said the woman.

"Daughter?" said Ahsoka.

 _Meanwhile_

Han ran through the labyrinth. Suddenly, Bossk appeared in his path.

"Going somewhere?" said Bossk. Han turned around to find himself facing 4-LOM and Zuckuss.

"We have you now, Solo" said Zuckuss. IG-88 leapt up on top of a wall and pointed his blaster towards Han.

"Escape is inevitable" said IG-88. Embo slid down on his hat, stopped, placed his hat back on his head, and pointed his bowcaster towards Han. Dengar walked up to him and pointed his blaster at him. He was followed by Fett, Bane, and Sing.

"Don't move!" said Fett.

"Do I really have a choice?" asked Han whilst putting his hands behind his head.

"The runt isn't here to save you this time" said Bossk.

"Looks like this is the end of poor little Han Solo" smirked Sing "And we're here to see it?"

"End of Han Solo?" said Han "End of Han Solo? Are you kidding me? This ain't a dream of mine"

"And who are you to make that decision?" said Fett. Han smirked.

"You don't know me at all" said Han. Suddenly, the ground cracked open and a giant Chewbacca burst out roaring, with Han triumphantly standing on his shoulder. "That's more like it!" With a deafening roar and a furious swipe, the giant Chewbacca swatted all of the bounty hunters away.

 _Back to reality_

Han woke up aboard the bridge.

"Good; you're awake, Captain Solo" said C-3PO. Han looked over and saw Chewbacca, Corea, and Latts standing in the bridge.

"Remind me of what happened" said Han.

"Something's fallen upon the floor you and the others were on" replied Ackbar "It brought you into a nightmare that you couldn't get out of. Fortunately we found you before any serious harm was done" Han looked around.

"Where's Luke and Ahsoka?" asked Han.

"They're next on the list" replied Ackbar "And perhaps the most dangerous"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke dueled with Vader intensely; but for some reason, it seemed to be even harder than usual. Vader pushed him back and sent him rolling away on his back.

"Pathetic" said Vader "Is this the best Obi-Wan has to offer. I had hoped you would've learned more by now, boy"

"At least I didn't shame him like you did" said Luke.

"From where I'm standing, it seems like you're no different" said Vader. Luke charged at him only to get force-pushed back. "All too easy"

 _Meanwhile_

"How are you here?" asked Ahsoka "You're…You're…"

"I sacrificed my life to bring yours back" replied the Daughter "Because of this, my spirit resides in you. I have tried to make contact in the past, to no avail"

"Then what are you doing here now?" asked Ahsoka.

"I have come with a warning" replied the Daughter "I have sensed a dark power rising. The great conflict over the past few years has only strengthened the dark side and all who align with it; the living…and even the dead"

"What is this dark power?" asked Ahsoka.

"I do not truly know" replied the Daughter "I spent so long on Mortis that I cannot identify it. All I know is that it comes from long before your time and that it has the capacity to destroy the whole galaxy. Be on your guard, Ahsoka; if it returns, all may be lost"

"I will" replied Ahsoka. Her attention was then drawn towards the dark lady, who was still frozen. "And who is that?"

"Something you should never have seen" said the Daughter.

"Why?" asked Ahsoka.

"It is not something you should worry about now" replied the Daughter "When you focus too much on the past and the future, you may never realize where you are in the present"

 _Back to reality_

Ahsoka woke up.

"That's another down" said Han.

"Where's Luke?" asked Ahsoka "Where is he?"

"Don't worry, R2's going to get him" replied Han.

"I should go to" said Ahsoka whilst getting herself up.

"I'm afraid not" said Ackbar whilst gently putting her down "We'll explain everything; but for the moment, you have to trust R2-D2 on this" Ahsoka had a concerned look on her face.

 _Meanwhile_

Vader force-pushed Luke back again and again until he finally couldn't get up again. Vader walked over to him, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him up.

"So much for being a new hope" said Vader. Suddenly, Obi-Wan swooped in with his lightsaber ignited and cut Vader off from Luke and the two began to duel. "Even in death you still plague me"

"Using such a technique was clever, but hard to accomplish" said Obi-Wan "Are you really willing to use up all your strength just to find him?"

"He is but a test" said Vader.

"I will not allow you to do this to him ever again" said Obi-Wan.

"That is not what matters" said Vader. Luke ignited his lightsaber and prepared to join when Obi-Wan looked back at him.

"Run, Luke!" said Obi-Wan "Run!" Realizing what he was saying, Luke retreated. As he did this, Vader stopped fighting and stepped back.

"Goodbye, my old friend" said Vader. He vanished into thin air. As Luke ran faster and faster away, a blinding light suddenly appeared in front of him, causing him to stop.

 _Back to reality_

Luke instantly woke up and sprang up.

"Luke!" said Ahsoka. She ran over to hug him. "Thank the Force, you're okay" She looked at him with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah" replied Luke.

"That's good" said Han "Except for the fact that we're still stuck in deep space with no power and no way to contact the rest of the Alliance" Suddenly, the lights turned back on.

"What's going on?" asked Ackbar. A Mon Calamari officer looked over at a control panel.

"All power's online again" said the Mon Calamari officer "And there appears to be no ill effects"

"Now that's convenient" said Han.

"How did that happen?" said Ackbar.

"I think I have an idea" said Luke. He stood up, ignited his lightsaber, and pointed it at the Umbaran who now stood in the room.

"By the Force!" exclaimed Ackbar.

"You did this, didn't you?" said Luke.

"That is correct" said the Umbaran "I created the illusion field in which you became trapped within your nightmares"

"Who are you?" asked Luke.

"My name is Venefic" replied the Umbaran.

"And why did you do this?" asked Luke "After what I've experienced, I'm guessing Vader had a hand in this"

"I do not serve Vader or any Sith, I walk my own path" replied Venefic "I am a Dark Jedi"

"Dark Jedi?" said Luke.

"I do not confine myself to the trappings of the Sith, nor do I not follow their code; I am not destined for their fate" said Venefic.

"Why did you do this?" asked Luke.

"A test" replied Venefic "I wanted to see how well the illusion casting would work. Congratulations, you've help it pass"

"Whatever you're planning, you're coming with us" said Ackbar.

"No" replied Venefic "You've all served your purpose and now I shall go back to my plans. Pray we do not meet again" He turned into black mist and disappeared.

"That was weird" said Han.

"He's gone!" said Corea.

"And would seem that this war may have more sides to it than we first thought" said Ackbar.

 _Meanwhile in an unknown location_

Venefic walked through ancient hallways and into a fire-lit chamber. Around him stood countless figures dressed in red cloaks and hoods, which made their faces barely visible.

"It is done" said Venefic "Now even the Jedi cannot stand a chance against my power"

 **Author's note** : The word "Venefic" is a variation of the word "Veneficus" which is Latin for "Warlock".

 **Hellman76** : Glad to hear you're enjoying the story so far, thank you.

 **Martin** : I'm planning on the Galen Marek story this season and Luke and Ahsoka will visit Naboo a bit later in the series.


	7. Path to Conquest

**Path to Conquest**

 _Imperial secrets discovered! Chief-of-state Lei Sarke has uncovered a secret Imperial program to create dangerous new weapons to turn the tide of the war! In an attempt to stop the production of the weapons, Admiral Ackbar along with General Madine have rallied together a portion of the Alliance's army and devised a plan of attack._

 _As they head to the Mid Rim world of Ord Mantell, they prepare for battle, unaware of the surprises that wait for them along the way…_

 _Home One above Ord Mantell_

Han, Chewbacca, and Corea entered the bridge of _Home One_ along with the rest of the troops. He saw Luke and Ahsoka sitting off in a corner and sat next to them.

"Ready for it, kid?" asked Han.

"You bet" replied Luke. Ackbar cleared his throat as he walked down to the group.

"Your attention please" said Ackbar "As you know; the fleet has arrived at Ord Mantell and we are preparing our attack" He brought up a hologram of the planet on the hologram projector at the center of the room. "I will lead the fleet to keep the planetary defenses busy while the army goes down to the planet's surface" He zoomed in and revealed a large building complex surrounded by Imperial vehicles and turrets. "As you can see, our target is the building complex which is gravelly defended. We will split the ground forces into two groups; Group A will follow General Chai on the right, Group B will follow General Feless on the left. By focusing our attacks on both sides, and by filling the airspace with our starfighters, we may just bring this facility down and cripple the program tremendously"

"Is that all?" said a rebel trooper.

"Unfortunately, not quite" replied Ackbar "The base is protected by a powerful energy shield that is able to not only deflect energy blasts and bombardment but can kill any lifeform or deactivate any machine that touches it" A hologram of an energy shield appeared around the building complex.

"Okay, so how do we deal with that?" asked Corea.

"General Madine has that covered" replied Ackbar. Madine walked up next to Ackbar.

"We have located the energy shield generator; it is hidden within a small mountain range seven clicks away from the complex" said Madine. The hologram zoomed out and revealed the shield generator's location. "It is in turn protected by another shield generator five clicks away" The hologram zoomed out to show the other shield projector. "In order for the attack to work, both shield generators must be destroyed. We will send a small group of Rebel commandos to a designated drop zone where they will take out the first shield generator and then move on to the next. The sooner the shields are down, the better"

"Head down to the hanger to be designated into your positions" said Ackbar.

 _A few minutes later_

Luke and Ahsoka walked through the hanger bay amidst lots of rebel troopers.

"Looks like we've been assigned to Group B" said Luke "Do you know anything about this General Feless?"

"Only that he's a Jedi survivor the Alliance found on Felucia" replied Ahsoka "I think it's over here"

 _Meanwhile_

Han, Chewbacca, and Corea walked through the hanger bay.

"We've been assigned to the commando group" said Han "Just over here" They walked over to the commando group meeting area. In front of the crowd stood a male Dressellian, who was identified by his left eyepatch; at his side stood a female Cathar with brown fur.

"Captain Han Solo, take a seat" said the Dressellian "My name is Orrimaarko, this is Tani Ab'yla. This commando group has derived from the Alliance Special Forces as well as some additional members from the Alliance Army. As you may know, our mission is to find and destroy both the shield generators; and we have to do it as soon as possible"

"Why does they keep saying that?" whispered Han.

Raise your hand for a question, Captain Solo" said Orrimaarko "But in answer to it, that is exactly what I'm about to talk about. The area we will be traversing is heavily protected with all communications vulnerable to interception, so radio silence must be kept at all times. This means that we cannot talk to the rest of the Alliance army and they cannot talk to us; if either of those happen, we'll get discovered and the mission we will fail at our mission"

"That would mean we can't even tell them when we've gotten the shield down" said Corea.

"Precisely; which is why our mission may be the most important of today" said Orrimaarko "We'll leave in about an hour, get ready"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka reached Master Heten Feless who was standing outside an LAAT gunship and seeing Rebel troopers aboard. Luke cleared his throat.

"Master Feless…" said Luke. Feless turned to him.

"Skywalker…get aboard" said Feless. He turned and got aboard another gunship.

"Okay…" said Luke "Not the warmest welcome, but I feel it could have been worse" He and Ahsoka stepped aboard the gunship as it took off and flew down to the planet below. The gunship zoomed past the asteroid field and descended down into the planet's skies. Suddenly, a shot was fired and the gunship next to them was destroyed. Luke looked out and saw a group of Imperial Dropship Transports flying towards them. "Well, here comes the welcoming committee"

"It'd be bad manners not to greet back" said Ahsoka. The LAAT gunships began to fire back. A stormtrooper commander looked up at them through a pair of electrobinoculars.

"Fire at will!" declared the stormtrooper commander. A group of Imperial mobile heavy cannons fired at the LAAT gunships.

"We've got heavy resistance" said the rebel pilot.

"Stay calm, we just need to stay out of their sights" said Luke.

"Easier said than done" said Ahsoka. Luke looked out to the side and saw T-47 airspeeders zooming to their side. He looked down at the ground below and saw Rebel infantry, being followed by tanks and walkers, fighting back the forces on the ground.

"Looks like the cavalry's come in" said Luke. Suddenly, a blast hit the side of their gunship and shook it, causing it to sway to one side. Ahsoka lost her footing and slid down. "Ahsoka!" Ahsoka grabbed ahold of the side of the gunship and Luke rushed to her. "Here; grab on" He grabbed her by the wrists and started to help her up. Suddenly, another blast hit the gunship causing Luke to slide off and be forced to grab onto the edge desperately.

"The situation hasn't improved" said Ahsoka.

"Pilot, can you go down lower?" asked Luke.

"I'll try; but if we go down too low, we might become a target" said the rebel pilot "Be careful" He descended the gunship down until Luke and Ahsoka noticed a Rebel AT-AP walking past them. They leapt down onto it and grabbed on.

"All clear!" yelled Luke. The LAAT gunship ascended up. Up ahead was a battalion of stormtroopers with their blasters poised.

"Well, I guess we had to land sooner or later" said Ahsoka. Luke leapt down and ignited his lightsaber. The stormtroopers opened fire but Luke deflected their shots back at them. Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber, leapt off, and started cutting down the stormtroopers in her path until there were none left. Suddenly, a large AT-ST walked up to them and pointed its cannons at them.

"Damn!" said Luke. The AT-ST started shooting at the two of them and they scattered behind a pair of parallel rocks. Luke looked out at Ahsoka and gestured to AT-STs feet. Ahsoka nodded in response. They stood up, ignited their lightsabers, and charged at the AT-ST, cutting its feet off and causing it collapse. "Well, that went well" Suddenly, a large battalion of stormtroopers charged at them and started shooting.

"Don't say that too soon" said Ahsoka. The two of them charged forward and began cutting the stormtroopers down.

 _Meanwhile_

A _T-6_ shuttle landed down in a jungle area and the commando group got out.

"Is that everyone?" said Orrimaarko "Good, then we can proceed" The shuttle got up and flew away. "We're just on the edge of the protected zone. Remember, no radio communications from this moment forward" They began walking through the jungle. leatherwing birds, identified by their black eyes and membranous wings, watched them from the trees.

"Pity we have to miss out on all the action, Chewie" said Han. Chewbacca groaned. "I know, busting stormtroopers is our job"

"You'll see plenty of action when we reach the shield generator" said Tani "The place will no doubt be crawling with Imperials"

"Which is why we have to do it discreetly" said Orrimaarko "Remember, we have to take out two shields; if a single Imperial sends out a distress call, it'll make destroying both the shields even harder"

"Why do one at a time?" asked Han "Why not just split off into two groups, it'll get the job done faster"

"Because these wildernesses are rough and hostile" replied Orrimaarko "Sticking together is the best chance of survival"

"I think you underestimate us" smirked Han. Orrimaarko turned around and pointed his blaster at him. "Woah, woah; take it easy. I was just mentioning that—"

"I am well aware of what you meant, but that isn't the point" said Orrimaarko "Maybe when you're off on your missions, Han Solo, you can do whatever you want; but I was appointed leader of this group. And while I am in charge, we do things my way. Understood?"

"Geez—" said Han.

"Understood!?" said Orrimaarko.

"Understood, understood!" said Han "Sheesh!" Orrimaarko turned back around and continued walking forward. "I'm still wishing we were a part of the attack, Chewie" Chewbacca groaned. At that moment, a low grumbling was heard.

"What the heck was that?" said Corea. Suddenly, a large beast leapt out from the undergrowth and roared viciously. It appeared to be a giant grey red-eyed armadillo with spikes on its back and boar-like tusks. It coiled up into a ball and rushed towards them.

"Incoming!" exclaimed Han. He and the other Rebel troopers leapt out of the way as the beast rolled forward and crashed against a large tree, causing the whole surrounding to shake. It uncoiled, roared again, and charged forward, knocking several Rebel troopers out of the way and swatted a few away with its tail. Chewbacca climbed up a tree, grabbed onto a vine, swung down (yelling a Tarzan-like call), and grabbed ahold of its back. The beast was irritated by it so much that it jumped around in an attempt to shake him off. Chewbacca held on tight and got out his bowcaster, only for it to fall out of his hand and fall onto the ground. Corea put on her helmet, activated her jetpack, and began shooting at it, only for the blasts to be deflected by the shell.

"Bad news: looks like it's blaster proof" said Corea. Han turned his gaze to Chewbacca's bowcaster.

"Not all of it is" said Han. He grabbed ahold of the bowcaster and threw a rock at the beast's head, causing it to turn its attention to him. It roared again and charged at him. Han charged up the bowcaster and fired at the creature's face, killing it in almost an instant. As the body collapse to the ground, Chewbacca slid off the back and got his bowcaster off of Han.

"What was that thing?" asked Tani.

"I've seen reports of these but never in person; it appears to be a male kakuona" replied Orrimaarko "At least there weren't any casualties; let's move on" They walked further into the jungle, with Han and Corea having one last look at the body of the kakuona.

 _Meanwhile_

With a quick swipe, Luke cut down the last stormtrooper.

"That was the last of them" said Luke. At that moment, two rebel troopers ran up to him and Ahsoka.

"Commander Skywalker, we have secured the perimeter and made a makeshift base of operations" said one of the rebel troopers.

"We'll take you there" said the other rebel trooper.

 _A few minutes later_

Ahsoka stood in front of a hologram of Rachi Sitra.

"So anyway, he got away before we could even question him" said Ahsoka "We still have no idea on why he was doing that or who he's affiliated with beyond being merely a Dark Jedi"

"We'll keep an eye out for such a disturbance from now on" said Sitra "Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

"Well…during my illusion, I saw something I'd never seen before" replied Ahsoka "It looked like a woman but she was shrouded in dark cloak and she used some kind of lightsaber whip. What was that?"

"I have no idea" replied Sitra "I've never seen anyone use a lightwhip, those are a very rare lightsaber variant"

"I've never seen her before, so she's definitely not from my past" said Ahsoka "So does this mean she comes…from the future?"

"That is very likely" said Sitra "It could also explain why you got no true explanation for it. The future is like being shrouded in mist; you can only take one step at a time of your choosing, but you cannot see where the path fully leads" A rebel trooper walked up to Sitra and said something into her ear. "I'm afraid I have planning to go to so I have to leave. May the Force be with you" The hologram turned off. Luke walked up to Ahsoka.

"I still can't shake the image of that woman from my head" said Ahsoka.

"I'm still shaken up by what I saw too" said Luke.

"I think we all saw things that shocked us" said Ahsoka "But we can't dwell on it. Not now"

 _Meanwhile_

Rachi Sitra and a group of rebel troopers stood around a strategy table and examined a hologram of the area.

"No, that still won't get us anywhere closer than we need to get" said Sitra "We'll just have to go over it again until we get it right" At that moment, a rebel trooper ran up to her.

"General, I've just received word that the commando group has entered the area" said the rebel trooper "They're on their way to the first shield generator now"

"Then let us hope they get there in time" said Sitra "All we can do in the meanwhile is our part" She turned around and had another look at the strategy table. "You know, I think I might have an idea"

 _Meanwhile_

"Hopefully we'll be able to figure out something at the strategy meeting" said Luke whilst he and Ahsoka walked over to the strategy table.

"I'm just hoping General Feless arrives in time" said Ahsoka "We need everyone on the scene for this" At that moment, a loud stomping was heard. "Did I just hear something?"

"You did, I heard it too" said Luke. At that moment, an All Terrain Personal Transport stomped out of the trees and started shooting at them.

"Looks like the Empire knows we're here" said Ahsoka whilst she and Luke ignited their lightsabers.

"Are we to use the tactic against AT-STs?" asked Luke whilst they dodged the blasts.

"You bet" said Ahsoka. The two of them ran forward and cut the AT-PT down by its feet, causing it to collapse. Since the vehicle was only three meters tall, the cockpit itself wasn't too damaged. The pilot burst his way out of the fallen vehicle, got out his blaster, and fired a shot at Luke, who deflected it back at him.

"That was too close" said Luke. Suddenly, another AT-PT burst out, and it was followed by more.

"Looks like he brought backup" said Ahsoka "This is Commander Tano; our base is under attack by Imperial walkers. Requesting backup"

"Acknowledged" said a rebel trooper through her comlink. Rebel troopers ran out and began shooting from behind cover. Luke leapt up onto the top of one, cut off its blaster cannons with his lightsaber, and stabbed down onto it, causing it to collapse.

"I drove my lightsaber through that thing too easily" said Luke "These vehicles, their armor isn't very strong"

"Perhaps, but there's so many of them" said Ahsoka. She looked over at a supply of grenades and nudged Luke in the stomach to get his attention. The two of them force lifted the grenades and threw them at the AT-PTS, destroying a large amount of them; only for even more AT-PTs to replace them. The AT-PTs could be destroyed easily, but they quickly started to overrun the base with their numbers.

"They just keep coming and coming" said Luke "It's like there's no end" An AT-PT walked up from behind Luke and poised its cannons at him. Suddenly, Heten Feless leapt out with his lightsaber and cut off its legs.

"All vehicles, destroy the Imperial walkers" said Feless. An AT-TE's cannon turned around and blasted one of the AT-PT. This was followed by a group of T2-B repulsor tanks driving in and blasting them down and an AT-AP following suit. Eventually all of the AT-PTs were destroyed.

"Wow, thanks" said Luke "How did you know how to—"

"I've studied these in the past" said Feless "They're called AT-PTs, short for All Terrain Personal Transport. They're designed to give a single troop the firepower of a battalion; they're fast and they're designed to take down infantry. But this is what gives them their weakness; they have light armor and are only a few meters tall which makes them an easy target for larger vehicles"

"Well; now that you're here, perhaps we can get the meeting started" said Ahsoka.

"I've already had the meeting" said Feless.

"Excuse me?" said Luke "When?"

"The moment I landed" said Feless "I'm afraid you missed it, you'll have to be filled in; we leave in a few minutes"

"Okay, so what's the plan?" asked Luke.

"Commander Tano, you're with me" replied Feless "Commander Skywalker, you stay here and guard the base"

"Wait, what?" said Luke "No, you need me in battle"

"I need troops to stay behind and guard our camp" said Feless "You're to be in charge"

"Excuse me, but wouldn't it be better if all three of us were on the frontline?" said Ahsoka "Because—"

"I am the highest ranking official here, so I make the decisions" said Feless "Is that understood?"

"It's understood" said Luke.

"Good" said Feless. He turned and left.

"So much for being involved in the battle" said Luke "Well, what are you waiting for? You've got a job to do"

"Don't worry; I won't have any competitions until you come out onto the frontlines" said Ahsoka.

"Assuming I ever get out onto the frontlines" said Luke.

"You will, I promise" said Ahsoka "I'll see if I can change his mind" Luke smiled.

"Thanks Ahsoka" said Luke "You're a true friend"

"Anytime, partner" smirked Ahsoka whilst giving him a punch on the arm.

 _Meanwhile_

Han panted and sat down on a log to get out his canteen of water.

"What are you doing?" asked Orrimaarko.

"What does it look like?" said Han "I'm thirsty, damn it. I never thought we'd have to go on such a long hike just to blow up a building"

"You can drink when it's time to stop" said Orrimaarko "We have a schedule to go on"

"Well, I want to drink now" said Han "It'll only take about a second"

"Every second counts" said Orrimaarko.

"Orrimaarko, Captain Solo is right" said Tani "We've been walking for almost two hours now. Can't we just stop here for a moment?" Unbeknownst to the rest of them, a scout trooper hid behind a log and watched them with a pair of electrobinoculars. He lowered them and got out a sniper rifle, aiming it at Orrimaarko.

"Because this area isn't secured yet" said Orrimaarko "If we stop at just any place, we risk being attacked. And unless—"

"Uh, guys" said Corea whilst pointing at the scout trooper. Orrimaarko turned around just as the scout trooper shot at him, only for Han to jump over and get Orrimaarko out of the way. The scout trooper quickly threw away his sniper rifle and ran off to his speeder bike.

"What are you waiting for?" said Orrimaarko "Stop him before he alerts someone!"

"Oh, you're welcome" said Han sarcastically as he got himself up. As soon as the scout trooper hopped on his speeder bike, he sped off. Corea quickly threw on her helmet and shot her fibercord whip at his speeder bike.

"I think I got hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim!" said Corea as she was quickly jolted off. As she was flown through the trees, she held tight onto her fibercord whip. She looked around at everything on herself for something to use before remembering her jetpack. "Damn; can't believe I forgot" She activated her jetpack and sped up to the front of the speeder bike, disconnecting her fibercord whip, and landing on the front of the speeder bike.

"Eh!" snapped the scout trooper whilst he reached for his blaster. Corea however grabbed one of her blasters and pointed them at him.

"Don't even think about it" said Corea. The scout trooper slowly placed his finger on the trigger. "Really? Do you really think you're that good a shot? I wouldn't press your luck that far"

"Huh?" said the scout trooper whilst tilting his head to one side. Corea looked around and saw that they were heading straight for a tree.

"Uh-oh!" exclaimed Corea. She leapt off of the speeder bike and activated her jetpack to slowen her fall as the speeder bike and the scout trooper crashed straight into the tree and were destroyed. "Woah!"

 _A few minutes later_

Corea took her helmet off as she returned to the others in the commando group.

"Enemy agent disposed of" smirked Corea.

"Too little too late, I'm afraid" said Tani. Across the clearing Corea could see Han and Orrimmarko arguing.

"This isn't about that, this is about the chain of command!" snapped Orrimmarko "I can't afford to have a loose cannon in this group"

"Chain of command?" said Han "Go join the Empire then; I'm sure with a few modifications you'll fit right in"

"How dare you!" snapped Orrimmarko "Do you have any idea of what the Empire has done?"

"Of course I have" said Han "I wasn't living under a rock for the past few years. Imperials made it blatantly obvious when they boarded by spice runs"

"So that's it?" said Orrimmarko "You're just a mercenary, aren't you? You're whole motivation for working with us is that the Empire screwed you over?"

"What, no!" said Han "There are other reasons beyond that"

"That's what they all say" said Orrimmarko "I'll let you know this, people like you helped the Empire's rise to power all for the money"

"People like me, huh?" said Han "I'm guessing you have a bias"

"Listen, this is my squad" said Orrimmarko "I was put in charge, not you. You can either get in gear or get out of the way"

"I'll take the latter, thank you very much" snapped Han as he stormed off. Corea sighed and face palmed herself.

"I don't know about you, but that escalated quickly" said Tani.

"You don't know Han" said Corea.

 _Meanwhile_

As the Group B forces walked along plains, Feless stood in an AT-TE with Ahsoka.

"Since you did not attend the meeting, I will catch you up on the battle strategy" said Feless. He brought up a hologram of the plains. "We have located an Imperial outpost just north of our makeshift camp. We'll capture it so it can serve as a more formal base"

"What are their defenses?" asked Ahsoka.

"Nothing too major" replied Feless "A few walkers, a few tanks; but they're probably hiding something, so keep your eyes open"

"Right" said Ahsoka "Say, can I ask you something?"

"What is it, padawan?" asked Feless.

"I just want to be certain, is there a certain reason why you left Luke behind at the camp?" asked Ahsoka "I just think it would be—"

"Your questioning on the matter is rather increscent, but I will answer nonetheless" said Feless "The choice to leave Commander Skywalker in charge of camp was merely a decision of strategy. I understand this must be difficult for you; I've heard that you two have made quite the team over the past few months, but we both know that attachment is not advised with the Jedi Order"

"Yes, but—" said Ahsoka.

"You are dismissed, Commander Tano" said Feless "Prepare the men for battle; we will arrive at the base shortly" He left the room, with Ahsoka merely frowning and placing her hands on her hips.

 _A few minutes later_

"It's just impossible to communicate with him" said Ahsoka into her comlink "It's like he's just dodging the question. I don't mean to sound xenophobic, but it seems like I haven't had any good luck with Bothans recently"

"That sounds frustrating" said Luke through her comlink.

"You don't know the half of it" said Ahsoka "When he brought up the Jedi Code, it just reminded me of what the old Order did to me"

"I know it's upsetting, but don't get mad about that" said Luke "Besides, I thought you had moved on from that"

"I have, pretty much" said Ahsoka "But it's hard to forget getting disowned by the only family you've ever known, it just hits a sore spot. So how's things on your end?"

"It's alright" replied Luke "It's not as good as helping out, though"

"At least there are no more attackers" said Ahsoka "Some walkers took us by surprise last time, but we're more prepared this time. Then again, at least that would be some action" She thought for a second when she suddenly came up with something. "Wait a second; Luke, is it true that you and Sitra get along famously"

"Yeah, she took an instant liking to me when we first met" replied Luke "We become good friends fast"

"Perhaps she can deal with this" said Ahsoka "Talk to her about what happened and perhaps she could talk to Feless and get a proper explanation out of him"

"That's a good idea" said Luke "I'll see what I can do. See you, Ahsoka"

"See you, Skyguy" said Ahsoka.

"Attention, we are approaching the Imperial base" said the rebel pilot through the walker's intercom "Prepare yourselves for battle"

 _Meanwhile in the Imperial base_

From the base that stood atop a hillside, and Imperial commander overlooked the approaching vehicles.

"Commander Amavia, the rebel forces are approaching us" said an Imperial officer who ran up to him "What are your orders?"

"Send out all tanks and walkers" said Amavia "They'll keep them busy whilst I contact the major general"

"Yes sir" said the Imperial officer. He ran off.

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka climbed out the side of the AT-TE and climbed up the side of the walker and overlooked the opening of a large hanger door from the base. Imperial AT-STs, 2-M hover tanks, and AT-MPs emerged and approached them.

"Well, here it goes" said Ahsoka.

 _Meanwhile_

Han walked through the jungles, muttering to himself and not looking back. Suddenly, he heard a rustling from the bushes. He instantly turned around and pointed his blaster at the bush. Suddenly, a small can-cell flew out and buzzed past him.

"Geez!" said Han.

"You know, that was nowhere near as big as those things can get" said a voice. Han turned around and found himself pointing his blaster right at Corea.

"You know, a little warning wouldn't go unappreciated" said Han "You and your Mandalorian stealth"

"If I was using my Mandalorian stealth, you'd have no idea I was even here" said Corea.

"So, come to join me?" said Han "Have you brought Chewie with you?"

"I haven't come to join you" said Corea "Han, you have to come back with us"

"I think it's obvious at this point that Prune Face and I don't see eye-to-eye" said Han "Why should I come back?"

"Like it or not, we need you and you need us" said Corea.

"I've got better things to do" said Han.

"Like what?" said Corea "Dying out here in this godforsaken jungle?"

"Beats taking orders from him" said Han.

"I know it's tough, Orrimmarko is a difficult person to work with" said Tani as she approached them "He finds it hard to get along with others, especially Humans"

"Let me guess, there's a reason for that" said Han.

"There is" said Tani "You see; before the Empire, his people, the Dressellians, had little contact with other species outside their homeworld. They grew to be used to this lifestyle. But then the Empire occupied the planet; however, the Dressellians fought back fiercely. Orrimmarko was among them; and thanks to their involvement, they were able to drive the Empire away and this led them to eventually join the Alliance. But the Empire's disdain for Non-Humans gave them a bad impression on the Human species"

"And what do you expect me to do?" said Han.

"Orrimmarko may seem rough on the outside; but like most of us, he's had it hard" replied Tani "But take my word; when I was first placed in a squad with him, all he did was boss me around. At times I just wanted to leave; but I never disobeyed an order, and that's probably what got the mission's done. Don't judge a book by its cover, Captain Solo" Han breathed a sigh.

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka leapt down off of the AT-TE, landed on a passing AT-RT, and ignited her lightsaber. As the AT-RT ran past an approaching 2-M hover tank, she jump down onto it and cut the fuel lines, causing the tank to explode. A small battalion of stormtroopers ran up to her and she slashed them down within a matter of minutes. Suddenly, a large AT-MP walked up to her and prepared its missiles.

"Oh no!" said Ahsoka. As the AT-MP fired its missiles at her, she ducked for cover behind a rock. "This day's taken a turn, hasn't it?" The AT-MP started firing its chaingun at her. Suddenly, Feless leapt out, cut the chaingun off with his lightsaber, and force crushed one of the missile launchers, causing it to explode and severely damage the walker. He then force-pushed the AT-MP backwards and it fell onto its back with a thud.

 _Meanwhile_

"Sir, we're losing our forces" said an Imperial officer "What should we do?"

"Hold position" replied Amavia "The general gave me his word that he would reinforce us if need be. And I've already contacted him about it"

 _Meanwhile_

"This is most disturbing" said Sitra's hologram "Master Feless hasn't been with us for long and he's never shown this sort of behavior before"

"And I've only just met him" said Luke.

"Have you tried asking him about it?" asked Sitra.

"Both Ahsoka and I have tried, but he keeps dodging the question" said Luke "It's like he just can't be bothered with me. I was actually wondering whether you could talk to him for me"

"I'll see what I can do" said Sitra "I'll make contact with him as soon as I can" Her hologram disappeared. At that moment, a rebel trooper ran up to Luke.

"Commander Skywalker, incoming Imperial dropships are heading our way" said the rebel trooper.

"Get the vehicles to target them" said Luke "Get as many of them down before they can reach us"

"Yes sir" said the rebel trooper. She ran off to alert the other rebel troopers. Luke looked up at the sky as the Imperial Dropship Transports flew towards them. The vehicles aimed their weapons at them and began shooting. However, the Imperial Dropship Transports did not stay and attack but rather flew straight past them and out of sight. As they flew past, Luke noticed that each of them had a small attachment to the bottom of them that had three holes.

"Sir, what just happened?" asked the rebel trooper "Why didn't they attack us?"

"We mustn't have been the target" said Luke.

"Then who was?" asked the rebel trooper. Luke looked off in the direction of where the dropships had flown off to.

"Oh no!" said Luke "They're heading straight for the battle. The Empire must have called for reinforcements"

"But how much of a difference could it make?" asked the rebel trooper "There was only a few of them" Luke quickly remembered the attachment he spotted.

"There's something different about those ships; they've got some sort of attachment on them" said Luke "I don't know what it does, but it can't be good"

"What should we do?" asked the rebel trooper.

"Ready everyone, we head for the battle" replied Luke "We have to help the others"

"But didn't General Feless tell us to stay behind?" asked the rebel trooper.

"Yes, but we can't just stand by and let something terrible happen" replied Luke "Sometimes being a good soldier means doing what you think is right"

 _Meanwhile_

"We're almost there, this way" said Orrimmarko as the commando group walked through the jungle. At that moment, Han and Corea walked up to him. "What is the meaning of this; Captain Solo, I recall that you weren't willing to follow my orders?" Han hesitated to say anything but Corea gave him a push in the back for persuasion"

"I'm sorry about what I said and I understand why you were driving us this way" said Han.

"So, you're willing to follow each and every one of my orders?" asked Orrimmarko. Han looked back at Corea who nodded.

"Yes" replied Han.

"I understand that this is difficult for you, Captain Solo" said Orrimmarko "I understand that I am different than most of the commanders you've worked with. I appreciate your joining in" He turned and walked off with the rest of the group.

"I think he just complimented you" said Corea.

"I still can't believe that I let you talk me into this" said Han.

"It's a living" smirked Corea "I talk you into a lot of things"

"You know, you're real cute when you get snarky" smirked Han. Corea smirked back.

"Good, because I like being snarky" smirked Corea. As the group walked through the forest, they reached a clearing underneath what appeared to be a large projection dish; just in front of them stood the entrance to a bunker.

"This is the place" said Orrimmarko "Remember, discretion is the top priority"

 _Meanwhile_

Feless leapt onto the top of an AT-ST and slashed it in half downwards.

"If we keep up like this we may just be able to overpower the Imperial forces and take the base" said Feless.

"General, Imperial dropships are approaching our position" said a rebel trooper through Feless's comlink.

"Aim at them the moment they come near" said Feless into his comlink "I wasn't expecting aerial combat so we have to get these down fast" The dropships flew up to them. As Ahsoka looked up she noticed the attachments on them.

"Hang on, what are those on them?" asked Ahsoka.

"I don't exactly know, but it looks like some kind of enhancement" replied Feless "They seem to be flying awfully low" Suddenly, one of the holes on the attachments pointed towards them and shot out a large bronze ball which rolled off the side of the hill and uncoiled to reveal itself to be a droideka.

"Destroyers!" exclaimed Ahsoka. As the droideka activated its shield and began shooting at them, the dropships began deploying more and more droidekas until the whole battlefield was soon overrun by them.

"There's too many of them!" exclaimed a rebel trooper just before getting shot down. Soon, Ahsoka and Feless found themselves back-to-back as the droidekas surrounded them.

"I underestimated the Empire and it has gotten us all killed" said Feless "I should of known better; I should have brought everyone out"

"Too late for regrets now, I'm afraid" said Ahsoka. Suddenly, one of the dropships was shot down and crashed into a group of droidekas. A group of LAAT gunships flew past, shooting down Imperial forces. They were followed by Luke and the rest of the rebel troopers who zoomed up on speeder bikes. "Well, looks like the cavalry just arrived" As Luke sped past her; she leapt on and sat behind him on the speeder bike with Feless looking off astounded. "Good thing you turned up, we were almost done for back there"

"You know me, I couldn't just stand by as soon as I saw that something was up" said Luke.

 _Meanwhile_

Within the Imperial bunker, the Imperial officers and stormtroopers were minding their own business as the door slid open to reveal the commando group.

"Intruders!" exclaimed an Imperial officer. He turned to activate the alarm, only for Orrimmarko to shoot the console with his projectile rifle.

"Holt!" yelled a stormtrooper commander. He and the other stormtroopers pointed their weapons at the commando group and it wasn't long until a full blown fire fight started and ended with all the Imperials in the room dead.

"Okay; now that's over and done with, let set those charges" said Han.

"The reactor should be down this corridor" said Orrimmarko.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke ignited his lightsaber and cut down a stormtrooper as he sped past. Ahsoka looked up at the dropships and noticed something.

"Wait; the dropships, they're retreating" said Ahsoka.

"What are they doing that for?" said Luke.

 _Meanwhile_

"No, no!" exclaimed Amavia "This isn't possible…how. I was told the dropships would help us, but—" At that moment, Feless and a group of rebel troopers entered the room. "Stop where you are!" Feless sped up to Amavia and held his lightsaber towards his face. "Wait, what are you—" Suddenly, Feless grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in front of him, holding his lightsaber at his throat.

"Surrender" said Feless.

"What kind of Jedi are you?" exclaimed Amavia.

"The kind that gets things done" replied Feless. Amavia was too shocked to say anything.

 _Meanwhile_

A group of droidekas rolled up in front of Luke's speeder bike but Ahsoka force-pushed forward and pushed them back. As the final dropship turned and began to leave, an AT-TE shot at it, causing it to crash into the ground and roll uncontrollably towards Luke and Ahsoka.

"That's not good!" exclaimed Luke and Ahsoka simultaneously just before the dropship rolled into them and threw them off the cliff and down to the river below.

 _Meanwhile_

Han pulled the charges from a bag and began to place them across the generator room. At that moment, a stormtrooper walked past and noticed them.

"Hey!" exclaimed the stormtrooper whilst pointing his blaster at them, only for Corea to shot him down. As he collapsed, his blaster went off and shot just past Han.

"Careful with that" said Han "One wrong blast and this bunker goes up and us with it"

"Don't worry; next time, I'll make sure I ask the stormtroopers to not shoot randomly as I kill them" said Corea.

"Charges first, comebacks later" said Han. He placed the final charger and set it. "Okay; that's the last of them. Let's get out of here"

 _Meanwhile_

"The commander of the outpost has surrendered" said Feless through the rebel troopers' comlinks "The base is ours" As he said this, all of the rebel troopers on the battlefield cheered out triumphantly. As Feless overlooked out of the window, a rebel trooper ran up to him.

"General, I have just heard word that there is no sign of Commander Skywalker or Tano on the battlefield" said the rebel trooper "They were last seen riding a speeder bike through the battle. What should we do?"

"Once we are up and running, send out search parties in all directions" said Feless "If we are to truly win this battle, we will need every asset we can get"

 _Meanwhile_

Han and the others in the commando group rushed out of the bunker and hid within the undergrowth just as the bunker and the projection dish blew up.

"Well; one down, one to go" said Han.

"And this one is the one that matters" said Orrimmarko "Get ready everyone; if you thought this was tough, you'll have to prepare yourself for the next one"

"I'll take that as a compliment" smirked Han.

 _Meanwhile_

A _T-6_ shuttle descended down towards Rachi Sitra's camp.

"What is the meaning of this?" said Sitra. She rushed up to the shuttle as the ramp descended down to reveal a Togruta man and a Togruta woman walk down.

"Are you a member of the Rebel Alliance?" asked the Togruta man.

"Yes, we are" replied Sitra "Who are you?"

"My name is Acashto Tano" replied the Togruta man "This is my sister Alarnaa"

"Tano?" exclaimed Sitra "What are you doing here?"

"We came here to look for our older sister" replied Alarnaa "We heard that she was working with the Alliance and have to join"

"Sister…" said Sitra.

 **Author's note #1** : The character Tani Ab'yla was a cut character for _Star Wars: Empire at War_ so I decided to make her into a character in my series. Since she was described as a feline species, I decided to make her a Cathar.

 **Author's note #2** : The kakuona is an original creation of mine.

 **Hellman76** : Your wish is my command.

 **Martin** : Other than general historic events, locations, and species etc., I'm not so sure about having a direct connection to _Star Wars: The Old Republic_ as I have admittingly not played it. I will however have elements from the _Knights of the Old Republic_ games.


	8. The Mantellian Wildnerness

_In memory of John Cygan_

 **The Mantellian Wilderness**

 _Skirmishes and campaigns on Ord Mantell! After arriving on the Mid Rim, the Rebel Alliance rages a brutal campaign to bring down the Empire's secret operation. General Heten Feless marches to the west while General Rachi Sitra marches to the east, both en-route to the Imperial citadel; while Han Solo and a group of Rebel commandos proceed to take out the shield generators which protect it._

 _But Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano have found themselves trapped in an out-of-control river and are sweeping away from the battle! But nothing can prepare the Alliance for what the Empire has in store…_

 _Ord Mantell_

"Ahsoka!" yelled Luke as he desperately pulled himself onto the top of the Imperial dropship transport. He could barely see or hear anything due to the vast currents of water around him. "Ahsoka!"

"Luke!" yelled a voice. Luke could see Ahsoka pulling herself up towards him.

"Quick, take my hand!" said Luke as he crawled over to her. Ahsoka crawled towards him and the two desperately reach out to each other before finally grabbing each other by the wrist and pulling themselves closer. "Are you okay?"

"I think so" replied Ahsoka "Luke, look out!" They both felt a sudden jolt which was caused by the dropship becoming jammed between two large rocks. "Well that was fortunate"

"I don't think this will hold us for long" said Luke. The two of them looked around.

"Look, a shoreline" said Ahsoka whilst pointing to the riverbank on their left.

"We have to get off this piece of junk first" said Luke. He slowly lifted himself up, grabbed onto the rock beside them, and slowly climbed up. It was then that the dropship creaked further slightly. Ahsoka got herself up, causing the dropship to creak further. "Careful"

"I'll try to be" said Ahsoka. She grabbed onto the rock and slowly climbed up. Suddenly, the dropship creaked forward enough to be washed away downstream. As this happened, Ahsoka's hands slipped off the rock due to the wet surface.

"Got ya'!" said Luke as he grabbed onto Ahsoka's hand.

"Thanks…Skyguy" said Ahsoka.

 _A few minutes later_

"We're not anywhere near the battlefield, that's for sure" said Luke.

"And that river busted up our comlinks, so we can't call for help" said Ahsoka.

"We'll have to get to higher grounds to have a look at our location" said Luke "Let's go" The two of them turned to the forest behind them and walked towards it.

 _Meanwhile at the Imperial citadel_

Inside the large Imperial citadel stood a big black droid with red sensors which resembled a ginntho. Ga'llaa walked up to it with five small drones in his hands. He let the drones fly up out of his hands and hover around them.

"Target practice has begun" said Ga'llaa into his comlink "Shoot all five drones within one minute" He stepped back as the drones began to whizz around. The droid lifted up its blasters and shot all of them within in a minute. "The target practice was a success" He turned to a tall figure that stood in the shadows behind him. "What is your next move with the project?" The figure stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself to be General Tame Cronos.

"With all tests successful thus far, let us move up to a full field test" replied Cronos "And what a better opportunity to test them out than at the exact moment the Alliance is at our doorstep. Prepare a full battalion of drillers for the attack"

 _Meanwhile_

Han and the rest of the commando group walked forward and found themselves in a large canyon.

"Well, this is new" said Han.

"We'll rest here for the moment; stay put while we scout the perimeter" said Orrimaarko "Solo, Ab'yla, with me" Han and Tani followed him as he walked over to down the canyon whilst everyone else sat down.

"I must admit, all the Mandalorian conditioning in my life could never prepare me for foot aches like this" said Corea. Chewbacca growled. "Because if I got above tree levels it could give away our position to the Empire; plus, with all this foliage around it could start a forest fire. Now that would really give our position away"

 _Meanwhile_

As Han, Orrimaarko, and Tani walked through the canyon they began to hear loud bellows and groans off in the distance.

"What's that?" said Han.

"Presumably whatever lives at the outskirts of the canyon" said Orrimaarko. As they walked further they reached a large clearing at the end of the canyon covered in a vast grassland-like terrain.

"By the Vast Veldt, look at those things!" said Tani. Filling the clearing from all the ends was a herd of Gapillian grazers. "What are they?"

"Gapillian grazers" replied Orrimaarko "They're herbivores native to this planet"

"Are they aggressive?" asked Tani.

"I've heard that they're generally passive unless during the mating season or when provoked" replied Orrimaarko.

"Then we don't have to worry about them then" said Han "This part of the area: secure"

"I wouldn't be too sure" replied Orrimaarko "Herbivores, even ones as large and heavily built as these, attract predators of all shapes and sizes" Within the forested undergrowth at the edge of the clearing, a faint four-legged silhouette crept in the shadows and snarled slightly.

 _Meanwhile_

"Y'know, during my travels, the things I heard about this planet made me want to avoid it like an intergalactic plague" said Corea whilst lying down with her arms behind her head "I heard things like it was just a giant junkyard or the fauna was just unbearable; but now that I'm here, I must say that it's not so bad a planet. Sure, there's the Imperials and those big creatures, but other than that—" It was then that the ground around them began to shake and tremble. "What's this?" As she got herself up, she could see Han, Orrimaarko, and Tani running towards them from the end of the canyon.

"Run!" shouted Han.

"What?" said Corea.

"If anyone wants to stay alive, run!" snapped Han. At that moment, the herd of Gapillian grazers rampaged towards them through the canyon.

"Why can't we just have a normal mission for once" said Corea as the other rebel troopers her began to run away. She quickly grabbed her helmet and placed it on. "C'mon Chewie!" Chewbacca growled and followed her. A loud Wilhelm scream was heard as the grazers ran up and accidently crushed one of the rebel troopers.

"I thought you said they weren't aggressive!" said Han.

"If you were observing carefully, something provoked them and caused them to stampede" said Orrimaarko.

"Thanks for the update, but what could provoke them like this?" said Han. At that moment, a large razoronn pounced out and roared as it chased after them. "Oh, that" Another razoronn leapt out and chased after them as well. It began to catch up to Han. "Okay, two's too much for me" He pulled out his blaster and shot it in the face two times, causing it to collapse and be crushed by the incoming grazers. Corea activated her jetpack and caused her to become airborne. Chewbacca growled at her angrily.

"Sorry Chew, but I can't lift you" said Corea "If you were smaller, perhaps—" Chewbacca growled angrily again. "No, it's not an insult; but I can't lift you" She flew on top of a grazer and extended her hand out to him. "Here, and try not to use full force" As Chewbacca extended his hand out, a large razoronn leapt up onto the grazer and pulled it to the ground. As it collapsed, it walked up menacingly to Corea who got out her blasters and pointed them at it. "Come on, you ugly mug!" As the razoronn pounced forward with a roar, Chewbacca charged up his bowcaster and shot it dead. "Eh, that was my one!" Chewbacca huffed, run up to Corea, and pulled her along by the hand. Han leapt up onto a grazer from behind and began to pull himself up. As he stood at the top of the grazer, he noticed a rebel trooper get taken down by a razoronn and eaten alive.

"Now that's just bad" said Han. It was then that he heard a growl. He looked down beside the grazer and noticed that a razoronn was chasing him. "You guys just walk right into this, don't you?" He was about to get out his blaster but lost his footing and fell onto the grazer's back and held on tight. "Damn it!" The razoronn snapped up at him and only just missed. "Oh no you don't; I deserted the Empire, I won the best ship this side of the galaxy in a game of Sabacc, I did the Kessel Run! I'm not going to end up the meal for some overgrown tooka like you!" He pulled out his blaster and shot at the razoronn, only for it to run to the side of the shots. "You just don't give up, do you? I almost admire that about" As the stampede moved on, they reached a cliff area that led to a steep ravine. Han slowly pulled himself along the back of the grazer until he reached its horns and hung off them. The razoronn swiped him again, but this startled the grazer who knocked it into the wall with its horns. "Now that's more like it!" Suddenly, another razoronns ran up behind the grazer and it leapt onto its back startling it further. "WHOA!" The grazer charged forward at full speed. The razoronn crept up to Han; but just as it was about to pounce, the grazer lost its footing and fell off a ledge, bringing both Han and the razoronn down with it.

"I think we're reaching the end" said Corea "We'll be with Han and the others in no time" Just as they reached the end of the canyon, she and Chewbacca realized that there were two pathways down the canyon. "Oh shoot! Two of them, just the thing we need right now!" Chewbacca groaned. "We'll take the one on the left, we'll worry about catching up with the others later" Chewbacca groaned. "I know, but we've got no other choice" The two of them ran down the pathway on the left to which there was still no foreseeable end in sight. "Great, looks like we'll just keep running until we're exhausted and die. This is not how I pictured my death would play out" Suddenly, another razoronn leapt at them again. "Down!" She and Chewbacca ducked down as the razoronn leapt past them. Chewbacca ran over to a grazer and leapt on top of it. "I'm guessing this makes us even" She activated her jetpack and flew up onto the grazer's back. "Okay, so what's next?" Chewbacca groaned. "Excuse me, but did you just say we should jump across on a moving creature and grab onto the wall of the canyon?" Chewbacca growled. "Not exactly the best idea I've ever heard, but there's about a thousand worse ones behind us and coming up on us if we stay put. Let's do it then. Okay; three…two…one!" She and Chewbacca grabbed onto the face of the canyon and grabbed ahold. Chewbacca's claws helped him hold on well, but Corea began to slip quickly. Fortunately, she activated her jetpack and was able to hover above the stampeding grazers. "Sometimes I forget I even wear this thing" She flew up to the top of the canyon and Chewbacca climbed his way up. "Well, let's see if we can find the group"

 _Meanwhile_

Orrimaarko and the rest of the group took cover on a rock above the stampede.

"We should be safe here until the stampede lessens" said Orrimaarko "If we don't make contact with the predators, they should be unaware of our presence"

"We lost Private Johnson and Boreas back there" said Tani "And there's no sign of Captain Solo, Corea Narth, or Chewbacca anywhere. We'll have to search the canyon for them after—"

"We will not be searching the canyon" said Orrimaarko "When everything's clear, we head off in the direction we were supposed to go"

"But we have to find them" said Tani "If they're still alive, we have to find them"

"We cannot take that risk" said Orrimaarko "We have a job to do and we cannot let anything get in the way. There loss is tragic, but it'll all be in vain if we don't get the final shield generator down"

"But we can't just leave them!" said Tani "They wouldn't leave any of us behind if we were in the same position!"

"We move out as soon as possible" said Orrimaarko "Are we clear?" Tani sighed.

"Clear" replied Tani reluctantly.

 _Meanwhile_

Han held onto a vine at the side of the cliff face. He looked down at the ledge that was just beneath him. He slowly loosened his grip of the vine and dropped down onto the ledge below.

"That was lucky" said Han. He looked up at the cliff and saw that he was far from the top, which was covered in mist. "Well, there's no way I'm climbing back up there. But I can't just stay here and wait for something to come along" He looked around and noticed that a rope bridge lay in front of him. He walked up to it and looked at it. "Not my preferred way of travel, but it seems I have no other choice" He slowly and reluctantly gave a first step onto the bridge and started walking down the bridge.

 _Meanwhile_

"You summoned me, general?" asked Ga'llaa as he entered the control room where Cronos stood.

"Ga'llaa, I have a task for you" said Cronos "My spies have informed me that they believed to have seen a Jedi traversing the forest by the river. From the description they have given me, I believe it to be none other than Luke Skywalker and his Togruta companion Ahsoka Tano. I want you to track them down and bring them both to me, alive. Do you think you can do it?"

"It can be done" replied Ga'llaa "But why not use overbearing force against them; one of the weaknesses of the Jedi is being outnumbered by a powerful force"

"I do not wish to draw attention to them or away from the battle" said Cronos "We have to keep this battle going no matter what. But if you are really concerned about taking the Jedi head on…" He gestured to a small box which lay on a table near them. Ga'llaa walked over to the box and opened it, revealing a pair of blades inside that was identical to his own pair. "These blades are created from cortosis; a very rare ore which is resistant to most forms of energy, including a lightsabers blade" Ga'llaa picked them up and looked at them.

"For what purpose do you need Jedi for?" asked Ga'llaa "Why are you so interested in them?"

"As I recall, you were not trained to ask questions" replied Cronos.

"But I was trained to served Lord Vader" replied Ga'llaa "Vader may have lent me to you for the time being, but I still serve him above all else"

"But he is not here right now, so quit asking questions and leave" said Cronos "Every second you waste means that the Jedi get further and further away" Ga'llaa clenched his fists in disdain.

 _Meanwhile at the former Imperial base_

Feless looked out to the battlefield on the Imperial base. At that moment, a rebel trooper walked up to him.

"Sir, we've received a transmission from General Rachi Sitra" said the rebel trooper.

"Show me it" said Feless. He walked over to the strategy table where the rebel trooper brought up a hologram of Rachi Sitra.

"General, how was the battle?" asked Sitra.

"We were victorious" replied Feless.

"That's good to hear" said Sitra.

"You want much more than a simple update on our progress, don't you?" said Feless.

"That is true" said Sitra "I've received information that you have been cold and distant towards Commander Skywalker"

"He told you, didn't he?" said Feless.

"That isn't what matters" said Sitra "I understand why you are doing this, but it is wrong"

"I cannot get the image out of my head" said Feless "He acts so much like his father, too much for my liking"

"He is Anakin's son, not Anakin himself" said Sitra "He is not bound to the same fate. If we are to fix the mistakes of the past, we must learn from them instead of ignoring them. Otherwise history is doomed to repeat itself. So for all our sakes, I merely request compassion towards him instead of disdain"

"Then I guess I'll have to thank him when we find him" said Feless.

"Excuse me, what do you mean find him?" asked Sitra.

"He disappeared during the battle and without, along with his partner Commander Tano" said Feless "We've sent out search parties but have found no sign of him"

"Keep searching, we have to find him" said Sitra "We can't lose anoth—" At that moment, a rebel trooper appeared behind Rachi Sitra.

"General, we're under attack" said the rebel trooper.

"We'll discuss this later" said Sitra. The hologram switched off.

 _Meanwhile_

"What's attacking us?" asked Sitra as they walked outside "Is it the Empire?"

"I'm not sure" replied the rebel trooper "I only just got inside when—" Suddenly, a large driller drilled its way out of the ground and uncoiled in front of them, hissing.

"By the Force!" exclaimed Sitra as she ignited her lightsaber. She swiped at the driller, only for it to leap up and land on top of an AT-TE. "Whatever it is, we have to stop it before it causes any more damage" Suddenly, the sound of a shrill scream hit the air. Sitra turned around to see another driller with the dead body of a rebel trooper in its claws. The driller threw the body away and began to fire lasers at them, which Sitra deflected with her lightsaber. Suddenly, the driller shot out a harpoon which landed into her leg and pulled her towards it, charging up its laser in the process. Suddenly, an energy arrow landed in it and exploded. Acashto Tano leapt down with an energy bow in hand, cut the harpoon's cord with a blade, and helped her up.

"Are you alright?" asked Acashto.

"It could've been worse" replied Sitra. The driller got itself up and crawled towards them quick. The two of them prepared their weapons when Alarnaa leaping down and stabbing it throw the top with a battle staff. The driller collapsed onto the ground deactivated.

"Well, that's one down" said Alarnaa.

"Now we have to deal with the other" said Sitra.

"Wait a second, where has it gone?" said Acashto. They looked over at the AT-TE and noticed that the other driller had gone.

"It must have retreated" said Sitra.

"Maybe it's gone forever" said Alarnaa.

"Best not to take the risk" said Sitra "We'll check the perimeter and organize patrols and guard duties. In the meantime, help me take this thing inside; we could learn something from this.

 _Meanwhile_

As Ga'llaa kneeled on the riverbank, he observed the footprints left by Luke and Ahsoka.

"Ga'llaa to General Cronos, I'm at the riverbank of the estimated area" said Ga'llaa into his comlink.

"Have you found any trace of them?" asked Cronos through his comlink.

"From what I've been able to deduce, they were in the river and found their way to land" replied Ga'llaa "The water may have covered their scent, but there are other ways to track them"

"So what have you recovered?" asked Cronos.

"Footprints" replied Ga'llaa "They lead straight to the forest"

"Then what are you waiting for?" said Cronos "Find them immediately"

"It will be done" said Ga'llaa. He walked off into the forest.

 _Meanwhile_

Corea and Chewbacca walked through the dense jungle.

"Well, it's official; we're lost" said Corea "And the worst part, we can't call for help" Chewbacca growled. "I know; so much for being part of a team" She looked up at the trees. "Hmmm; I may not be able to use my jetpack here without burning everything, but this tree looks tall enough to help us have a good look around" She walked over to the tree and was about to climb it when she heard the crunch of a stick. She looked over in the direction it came from. "Hang on…that wasn't us" She pulled out her blaster and shot the direction the sound came from.

"AH!" exclaimed a voice. Suddenly, the body of a shadow stormtrooper materialized and collapsed on the ground. Corea walked up to it to examine it.

"Cloakers…" said Corea. She pulled out her other blaster and put her helmet on. "Be on guard; no matter whether they can disappear or not, stormtroopers always bring company" Chewbacca growled and got out his bowcaster. "I know; with the element of surprise, perhaps they could finally hit some—" Suddenly, a load of blaster fire erupted at them. Corea was shot twice which caused Chewbacca to growl angrily. He fired randomly them, which hit two shadow stormtroopers. He then grabbed Corea, leapt onto the tree, and climbed up. He groaned and nudged Corea slightly. "Uhhh…yeah, I'm fine, Chewie. Mandalorian iron absorbs and deflects pretty much anything; doesn't mean it can't hurt still" Suddenly, blaster bolts shot up at them from the ground. "But it looks like they're still not giving up" She pulled out a CryoBan grenade. "Let's see how those cloaking devices hold up against this" She dropped the grenade and it detonated upon landing on the ground, outlining several shadow stormtroopers in ice. "Alright, Chewie; let's drop down!" Chewbacca let go and landed on top of one, crushing it. Corea dropped out of his arms and the tow of them began shooting down the shadow stormtroopers. "I think we've got all of them"

"AH!" exclaimed a voice. The dead body of a shadow stormtrooper flew towards them and landed at their feet.

"That's not good" said Corea. At that moment, a large creature burst out from the undergrowth. Chewbacca growled and pointed his bowcaster at the creature.

"No, wait!" said Corea as she pulled the bowcaster downwards. As the creature slowed down, it revealed itself to be a Mantellian Savrip who held a large staff which appeared to have been made out of tree branches stuck together with vines. The Savrip turned towards them, groaned, and made a few grunting noises and vocalizations. "What did he just say?" Chewbacca shrugged his shoulders. Suddenly, the Savrip lifted up his staff and slammed it down towards them. "Incoming!" The two of them rolled to either side as the staff slammed down on the ground. The Savrip made more vocalizations and growled. Chewbacca growled and pointed his bowcaster at the Savrip. "Wait, Chewie; drop it!" Chewbacca groaned in response. "I know, but I think it presumes us to be a threat; so drop the bowcaster" Chewbacca reluctantly put away his bowcaster. Corea put her blasters and pulled her helmet off. "Listen; I'm not sure if you can understand us or not, but we don't mean you any harm. Please, we don't mean any harm" The Savrip calmed down and lowered his staff.

"No harm?" said the Savrip.

"Wait, you speak Basic?!" exclaimed Corea.

"Crusher can speak Basic" replied the Savrip.

"So your name is Crusher?" asked Corea.

"Name Crusher, yes" replied Crusher.

"I know what you are, you're a Mantellian Savrip" said Corea "I've heard of your species. Who taught you to speak Basic?"

"The Mechanic taught Crusher to speak Basic" replied Crusher.

"The Mechanic?" asked Corea "Is he with the Empire?"

"Empire?" snarled Crusher "No! Empire hurt Crusher!" It was then that Corea noticed that his right foot appeared to be a simply constructed cybernetic one, which would explain why he needed the staff.

"Wait, the Empire did this to you?" asked Corea.

"Empire hurt Crusher" replied Crusher "Mechanic find Crusher like this and fix Crusher, make Crusher better. Are you with Empire?"

"No, we're not with the Empire" replied Corea "In fact we're fighting against them" Crusher lowered his head down and sniffed her.

"You Human" said Crusher "Humans with Empire. You look like Humans with the Empire. Empire hurt Crusher and everything else! Empire destroy trees and burn ground! Empire evil! Empire bad!"

"I know that I'm Human, but we're not with the Empire" said Corea "Please, you have to believe me" Crusher snorted and grabbed hold of both her and Chewbacca and started walking off.

"Where are you takin us?" asked Corea.

"Crusher take you to Mechanic" said Crusher "Mechanic know things of the world. Mechanic know whether you're Empire or not"

 _Meanwhile_

"What have you found out about it?" asked Sitra whilst examining the remains of the driller on a medical table.

"From what we've uncovered, it appears to have been controlled remotely" replied a rebel medic "Its key offensives appears to be its lasers and its claws, along with a variety of other weapons. From what we've been able to make out, it also appears to have been designed to drill underground to travel faster"

"That must have been how they took us by surprise" said Sitra "I've never seen the Empire design anything like this before"

"It's like a big metal spider" said Alarnaa.

"Do you think we should move camp?" asked Acashto.

"They'd probably still chase after us" replied Sitra "But you're right in one respect, we're still sitting ducks here. We'll have to move to more uneven ground where they'll find it hard to drill"

 _Meanwhile_

As dusk fell, two rebel troopers stood guard and watched carefully.

"Have you seen anything yet?" asked the first rebel trooper.

"Not yet, but we'll be ready for them" replied the second rebel trooper.

"Have you heard back from anyone else?" asked the first rebel trooper.

"I'm not sure why they would attack like that" said the second rebel trooper "I mean, that's just asking for—" Suddenly, a swift and silent laser bolt shot through him and killed him within an instant.

"What the—" exclaimed the first rebel trooper shortly before getting shot himself. The shot had come from a single driller who stood alone on the hill.

 _Meanwhile_

An Imperial pilot sat at the controls of the driller with Cronos standing beside him.

"That's all the guards done" said the Imperial pilot.

"With the Rebels on guard, we're able to kill them easier and weaken their defenses" said Cronos "We'll ready the rest of the pilots. The real battle begins now"

 _Meanwhile_

Han walked across the bridge, with no foreseeable end in sight. It was then that the distinct sound of a kloo horn hit the air.

"What the heck?" said Han as he stopped walking. Off in the distance he could hear distant footsteps. As the footsteps got closer, a large but somewhat humanoid figure materialized from the mist. As the figure got closer, it revealed itself to be a large male Rodisar with his eyes closed and playing a kloo horn. When he finally reached Han, he stopped, lowered the kloo horn from his mouth, and opened his eyes.

"Well, well, well; I never thought I'd find one of you out here" said the Rodisar.

"Neither did I" replied Han.

"So; what are you doing here, little man?" asked Rodisar.

"I'm…well; to cut it short, I'm lost" replied Han "Just stepped away from one hell of a stampede that almost killed me and now I'm walking across this bridge to get away from the mist and see if I can find the rest of my group"

"You're walking in the wrong direction" replied the Rodisar.

"Excuse me?" said Han.

"Nothing but mist back there" replied the Rodisar "Why do you think I'd take the risk of walking on this precarious rope bridge if everything was safe back there" There was a short silence as Han thought about what to say next.

"Anyways; regardless of what's on the other side, I've really got to get going and this bridge seems to be my only way acro—"

"Eh; you don't want to go back there" said the Rodisar "Nothing on the other side except that damn battle that's going on"

"Really?" said Han sarcastically "Well; too bad, I'm still going that way"

"But I'm going this way" said the Rodisar.

"Then just walk backwards until we reach the other side" said Han.

"No way!" said the Rodisar "It took me almost five hours to get to this point, there's no way I'm going back"

"Then why don't you step aside?" said Han.

"Step aside?" said the Rodisar "On a rope bridge? Do you know how far that fall is?"

"Well; unless you can miraculously learn how to float in midair, then I suggest walking backwards" said Han.

"Why am I the one who has to move?" said the Rodisar "Why can't you be the one who does something? Why don't you dangle underneath the bridge or climb over me"

"That seems like a bit too much" said Han.

"Oh right, I forgot; you're Human" said the Rodisar.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" said Han "Because unless I am much mistaken, you used the word Human as if it were a defect"

"Are you kidding me?" said the Rodisar "HA! Humans; you're small, physically weak, have no claws or sharp teeth, no advanced senses, no major fur or scales. How evolution went easy on you, I'll never know. Do yourself a favor and stay in Worlport next time"

"Listen; I'd love to continue on with this **incredibly** interesting conversation on archaeology and what not, but I've got to get going" said Han whilst pulling out his blaster "So if you don't mind, walk back the way you came"

"By Nal Hutta!" said the Rodisar.

"Yeah, that's right" said Han "What's the point of being what evolution deems physically right if you're afraid of a fight"

"No, it's not about that" said the Rodisar "It's about what you're holding in your hand. A DH-44 heavy blaster pistol; you'd seriously call that a blaster?"

"Yes, actually" replied Han.

"HA!" laughed the Rodisar "I bet you couldn't hit a dead bantha with that if I laid it in front of your foot"

"It may be small, but it packs a punch" said Han "At the end of the day, that's what really matters"

"Small blaster equals small shots" said the Rodisar.

"What's your name then: "Mr. Big Shot"?" said Han.

"It's Mugger, actually" said the Rodisar "And my point is; that's not a blaster…" He pulled out a large rotary blaster from his back. "…this is a blaster!"

"A Z-6 rotary blaster cannon, unless I am much mistaken" said Han "Nah; those things cause unnecessary ruckus and go everywhere. I prefer a more precise shot"

"At least it could be called "impressive"" said Mugger "I've never seen anyone call a SH-44 impressive"

"You obviously never followed me before" smirked Han.

"Still; by the time you shoot me with one shot, I'll have already put a thousand in you" said Mugger "Can your DH-44 do that?"

"You're talking about blaster shots, right?" smirked Han.

"What else would I be talking about?" said Mugger "Or is that too complex for your tiny Human brain to wrap around?"

"Tiny Human brain?" said Han "Tiny blaster? Are we just going to spend all day going on about how everything I have is tiny? I've got a rep to keep up"

"Perhaps you should never have taken it out to begin with" said Mugger "You've got no one to blame but yourself"

"Oh yeah?" said Han "At least it's good at one thing"

"And what's that?" asked Mugger. At that moment, Han shot his kloo horn and it fell down into the mist in pieces"

"That" smirked Han.

"Eh!" snapped Mugger "That was an antique copy of Figrin D'an's kloo horn!"

"You know, I never pictured you as a collector" smirked Han.

"You just crossed the line, buddy!" snapped Mugger.

"Oh yeah, what you gonna' do about that?" smirked Han. Suddenly, Mugger fired countless shots at him using his rotary blaster, causing the smuggler to duck down. "Oh, that…" He shot up and shot several shots at Mugger, who ducked from the shots and fired some more. It was then that the bridge began to creak. The two them noticed that the ropes for the bridge had been badly damaged and were about to snap. "Now you've done it!"

"It was your fault!" snapped Mugger. Suddenly, the rope snapped and sent the two of them plummeted towards the mist below as they held onto the bridge's remnants for safety.

 _Meanwhile_

Sitra watched as a HWK-290 light freighter lifted off and flew away. At that moment, a rebel trooper ran up to her.

"General, I have urgent news…" said the rebel trooper "Wait, where have those two gone?"

"Who do you mean?" asked Sitra.

"The Togrutas" replied the rebel trooper "Where have they gone?"

"They wanted to see their sister again, so I allowed them to go on a task that would enable them to see their sister again" said Sitra "Why do you ask that?"

"Because we need everyone we can get" replied the rebel trooper "I went out with my partner to begin our guard duty shift, only to find the ones we were supposed to be replacing had already been killed"

"Killed?" said Sitra "By what?"

"We had no idea until my partner got shot" replied the rebel trooper "Then I saw them…they're back….the Imperial—" Suddenly, he was shot. Sitra looked over and saw the approaching drillers.

"By the Force!" exclaimed Sitra. She ignited her lightsaber and ran back to base. "Everyone, this is General Sitra. Prepare yourselves, we're under attack; the Imperials are back!"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka traversed the wilderness of Ord Mantell in an attempt to reach higher ground. It was then that a faint rustle in the bushes was heard which caused Luke to turn around and look at it.

"I can sense something" said Luke "Someone's here"

"I sense it too" said Ahsoka "We're being watched"

"Let's get out of here" said Luke as he turned around, only to find Ga'llaa standing in front of him with his blade pointed towards his chest.

"Hello again, Jedi" said Ga'llaa.

"Ga'llaa!" said Luke "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to take both of you away" replied Ga'llaa. With a swift sprint, he pulled off both Luke and Ahsoka's lightsabers within an instant.

"Hey!" exclaimed Ahsoka.

"I'd recommend you come willingly" said Ga'llaa "I am instructed to bring you back alive, and I would prefer to do it in one piece" At that moment, Luke extended his hand out and summoned his lightsaber to himself, only for Ga'llaa to catch it in midair. Fortunately, Ahsoka joined in and the lightsaber flew back into his hand and he ignited it. "So you have chosen to come by combat" He extended his blades out. "I'll do my best not to harm you"

"You don't have to try hard" smirked Luke. Ga'llaa leapt at him and Luke blocked him out using his lightsaber, seeing that the blades could stand up against his lightsaber's blade. "What the!?" Ga'llaa leapt back. "Your blades…my lightsaber couldn't cut them!"

"Your lightsaber cannot damage my blades" said Ga'llaa "With the firepower removed, all that's left to this battle is skill" He leapt at Luke and again and the two began to duel.

 _Meanwhile_

"How far are we now?" asked Corea.

"Not long" replied Crusher as he walked up a large hill "Mechanic nearby" As he reached the top of the hill, Corea and Chewbacca looked out over at what lay in front of them. A vast and barren landscape filled with the remains of crumbling buildings and destroyed Starfighters and starships. Chewbacca growled.

"I know, Chewie" said Corea "The Scraplands" Crusher moved downhill towards the scraplands.

 _Meanwhile_

"I always had faith in the drillers" said Cronos.

"Killing the rebels just became a whole lot easier when they can't kill you back" said the Imperial pilot.

"Do not get too overconfident" said Cronos "Just because they can't kill you doesn't mean they cannot beat you. Stay on the task"

 _Meanwhile_

Sitra deflected the lasers from the drillers before taking cover behind a group of crates. At that moment, a Lucas Keyes ran over to her side.

"Lucas, what is our progress?" asked Sitra.

"We're still no closer to defeating these things" replied Lucas "What are your orders, general?"

"There has to be some way to stop them" said Sitra. She peered over the crates at the battle. "Do we have any fuel in the base?"

"I think there's some still in the base" replied Lucas.

"Get everyone out of here as soon as I give the order" said Sitra "Make sure everyone gets out except for one hailfire droid. Leave one behind"

"What's the plan?" asked Lucas.

"We're going to take all of them out at once" replied Rachi Sitra.

 _Meanwhile in the Scraplands_

Inside the remains of a crashed _Munificent_ -class star frigate sat a turquoise male Rodian with a pair of goggles who was tinkering with some devices. At that moment, a Savrip entered the ship.

"Crusher returning" said the Savrip. The Rodian lifted up his goggles and turned around.

"Take me to him" said the Rodian whilst placing the goggles back onto his head.

 _Meanwhile_

As Crusher moved throughout the scraplands, he entered an area filled with makeshift tents (some of which were attached to the starship remains).

"Welcome to Savrip village, I assume" said Corea. All around them stood both male and female Savrips of different ages. When Crusher reached the _Munificent_ -class starship's remains, he placed both her and Chewbacca down.

"This Mechanic's workshop" said Crusher. At that moment, the Rodian emerged from the starship with the other Savrip.

"You wanted me, Crusher?" said the Rodian.

"I'm going to assume you're the Mechanic" said Corea.

"What; a Mandalorian!" exclaimed the Rodian "You brought back a Mandalorian?!"

"Mandalorians bad?" asked Crusher.

"Mandalorians have done bad things, yes" replied the Rodian "I lost an uncle to one of them once"

"Look, listen; I know what this must look like" said Corea whilst pulling off her helmet "But I don't mean you any harm?"

"And why should I listen to you?" said the Rodian whilst pulling a blaster from his holster.

"Okay, I get it" said Corea. She pulled the blasters from her belt, dropped them on the ground, and slid them across to the Rodian. "See, I'm unarmed"

"And why should I trust you?" asked the Rodian "For all I know, you could be carrying more weapons"

"Look, please listen to me" said Corea "We're both lost and got separated from our group. This area's crawling with Imperials so—"

"Not this area" replied the Rodian "This area is so inhospitable and spooky that the Imps leave it alone; lady, you've just stepped into the one place on Ord Mantell where the Empire won't follow"

"Okay, yeah" said Corea "But still, I don't want to be a problem. We're just passing through in hopes of finding our friends. All we ask is that you allow us to stay until we find a way to find them" There was a short and sullen silence.

"Come inside" said the Rodian as he turned around.

"Wait, what about me being a Mandalorian?" asked Corea.

"True; but there's only one of you" said the Rodian "And even the toughest Mandalorian wouldn't stand a chance against this many Mantellian Savrips alone, even with a Wookiee backing them up"

"I think you **underestimate** our chances; eh, Chewie?" smirked Corea sarcastically. Chewbacca huffed.

 _Meanwhile_

Sitra force-lifted a fuel canister and slowly placed it with the others just outside the base and out of sight.

"Lucas, it's time to leave" said Sitra into her comlink "Remember to leave one hailfire droid behind"

"What about you?" asked Lucas through her comlink.

"I'm handling this" replied Sitra.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" asked Lucas.

"I never said that" replied Sitra "Just make sure the area is cleared as soon as possible"

"Yes general" replied Lucas.

 _Meanwhile_

The rebel vehicles started moving away from the base.

"What are they trying to do?" said the Imperial pilot.

"It doesn't matter" said Cronos "If they're really trying to escape, don't let them"

"Wait!" said a voice. The Imperial pilot turned the controls to view Rachi Sitra who was approaching the drillers.

"What is she doing?" said Cronos.

"Take me" said Sitra. She pulled the lightsaber from her belt and dropped it on the ground in front of herself. She then kneeled on the ground. "Take my life and spare the rest"

"Is she being serious?" said the Imperial pilot.

"Even if she is, this too great an opportunity not to pass up" said Cronos "We'll make it look like we're going along with it and then turn on her troops. Put all the drillers' focus on her"

"Yes general" said the Imperial pilot.

 _Meanwhile_

The drillers all turned towards Rachi Sitra and charged their lasers up. Suddenly, Rachi Sitra summoned her lightsaber to her hand, force-gripped all of the fuel canisters at once, and threw them at the lone hailfire droid. They all exploded on impact, destroying all of the drillers in the process. Rachi Sitra sprinted out of the way just as the explosion struck.

 _Meanwhile_

The control monitor went haywire as all of the drillers destroyed.

"No!" exclaimed the Imperial pilot "That blasted Jedi! You said you had faith in—"

"I said I had faith in the drillers, not you" said Cronos.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked the Imperial pilot.

"It means that even the most full-proof and impervious weapon can be brought down by a single flaw" replied Cronos "One which all weapons share"

"And what's that?" asked the Imperial pilot.

"Its wielder" replied Cronos "We'll have try something more subtle"

 _Meanwhile_

As Luke and Ga'llaa dueled, Ahsoka peered out at her lightsaber which still hung from Ga'llaa's belt. She attempted to summon it to her but found it hard to since Ga'llaa was moving.

"We don't have to do this, Ga'llaa" said Luke "There must be another way"

"That we can both agree on!" snapped Ga'llaa. He pushed Luke back until Luke lost his footing and fell off a ledge, grabbing ahold of it just in time.

"No!" exclaimed Ahsoka. Ga'llaa walked over to the ledge and looked down at Luke, who looked utterly helpless. He then kneeled down, extended his arm down towards him, and pulled him up.

"Uh…thanks" said Luke "But aren't we supposed to be fighting against each other?"

"If I let you fall, it would merely be a coward's victory" said Ga'llaa "I may have my orders and they come first; but if we are to resolve this in a fight, I will intend to truly earn it. We may be enemies for being on opposing sides, but sometimes enemies can show respect" He then clashed with Luke again. As the fight raged on, Ahsoka took a deep breath in, closed her eyes, and extended her hand out slowly, putting her full concentration on her lightsaber. The lightsaber suddenly swung up and pointed desperately towards her, being hindered back by the belt it was attached to. Ga'llaa was too preoccupied fighting to notice. Suddenly, the lightsaber was ripped from his belt and swung back into Ahsoka's hand, which she ignited and joined in on the fight.

"What took you?" asked Luke.

"Needed full concentration, that's all" smirked Ahsoka. Ga'llaa pushed them both back viciously.

"I'll give you one last chance" said Ga'llaa "Surrender and come willingly"

"You can't do that" said Ahsoka.

"I had hoped you would see reason" said Ga'llaa "But it seems I'll have to drag you there myself. You're coming with me, whether you like it or not!" Suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of them, causing him to cover his eyes at its sight. Hovering down before them was

"Commander Skywalker, Commander Tano; I have come to pick you up" said a female voice through an intercom from HWK-290 light freighter "Get in here now!"

"Do you think they're with the Alliance?" asked Luke.

"It's either the ship or him, take your pick" replied Ahsoka. She and Luke ran over to the ship and leapt aboard it. It took off and flew away.

"Come back here!" snarled Ga'llaa "Cowards!"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka entered the ship's cockpit, where a Human woman with brown eyes and dark brown hair sat at the controls. Her outfit was jumpsuit like and was varying shades of brown and she wore her hair in a ponytail with a pair of goggles on the top of her head.

"Good thing I arrived just in time" said the woman "Things looked pretty bad for you there"

"Who are you?" asked Luke.

"I was sent by General Sitra to pick you up" replied the woman. She reached across to extend her hand out towards them. "Jan Ors, Alliance Intelligence"

"Luke Skywalker, Jedi Order…I guess" said Luke whilst shaking her hand.

"Ahsoka Tano, same" said Ahsoka.

"Welcome to the _Moldy Crow_ " said Jan "Better get yourselves cozy; we've got a quick pickup to make"

"Who are we picking up?" asked Luke.

"The other two who were sent to find you" replied Jan.

 **Author's note** : The meeting between Han and Mugger was a homage of the meeting between Samurai Jack and the Scotsman.

 **Hellman76** : I might add them to the Alliance roster.


	9. Assault at Centerpoint

**Assault on Centerpoint**

 _Scattered and divided! Whilst Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano have been rescued by Alliance Intel Agent Jan Ors_ **,** _the Rebel commando group has found itself separated; while Han finds himself in even more trouble, Corea Narth and Chewbacca the Wookiee find refuge with the local Mantellian Savrips and the mysterious Mechanic and the rest of the group, being led by the hard and tough Orrimaarko continues forward towards the next shield generator._

 _Meanwhile on the frontlines, General Rachi Sitra and her troops find themselves up against new and dangerous weapons of war that leave them on the run! But as both her group and General Heten Feless's group march forward towards the Imperial facility, no one is prepared for what General Tame Cronos has in store for any of them…_

 _Ord Mantell_

Feless looked out at the Imperial facility with a pair of electrobinoculars when a rebel trooper ran up to him from behind.

"General, we've gathered our forces" said the rebel trooper "We're ready for attack. What are your orders?"

"We'll proceed as planned" said Feless whilst lowering his electrobinoculars "We'll wait for the signal by Group A and move on their mark simultaneously. Until then, we stay here and stay on guard for any Imperial activity; we can't let them know of our positions or plan"

"Understood" said the rebel trooper. He turned to leave.

"Any news of Commander Skywalker and Tano?" asked Feless.

"Not yet" replied the rebel trooper "But General Sitra has informed us that she's sent out search parties. Why do you ask that?"

"I should have kept a better eye on them" replied Feless "I should have treated them better. It's just…"

"It's just what?" asked the rebel trooper.

"It's just something I regret" replied Feless

 _Meanwhile_

"It seems quite crowded in here" said Ahsoka.

"It's built for one pilot and one co-pilot" said Jan "Usually I don't have to worry about this since I don't usually take passengers"

"I can see why" said Luke.

"Besides, I usually do intelligence missions; they don't usually require passengers" said Jan "You know, this one time…wait a second, is that smoke?" Thick black smoke simmered off in the distance.

"Better investigate" said Luke. Jan piloted the _Moldy Crow_ over towards the smoke.

 _Meanwhile_

Han breathed a sigh as he and Mugger desperately held onto the remains of the rope bridge over the misty abyss. There was a short and uncomfortable silence.

"This is all your fault, you know" said Han.

"And is it all my fault?" asked Mugger.

"Well, I was doing great until you showed up" said Han.

"You weren't doing great, there was nothing behind me so there was nothing ahead of you" said Mugger.

"Forget it then" said Han "Besides; if you had just stepped to the side, none of this would have happened"

"Same could be said for you" said Mugger "Besides, I was just trying to get away from them Imperials. Last time I checked, they don't like my kind around there"

"Tough, I don't like my kind either; they pretty much don't get along with anyone" said Han "Besides, there were plenty of Imperials where I just came from as well"

"Damn it!" snapped Mugger. It was then that they heard a loud snap which caused them to both look up.

"I think that was the bridge" said Han.

"I think so too" said Mugger.

"Well; I hate to state the obvious, but I think this withered old bridge is just too fragile to hold the both of us" said Han "It just isn't strong"

"Right" said Mugger "So you're implying that if one of us lets go, then the other one will be fine?"

"Sort of" replied Han "Compared to you, I don't weigh much; if I let go, it's not going to make much difference. However; if you let go, it will make a big difference"

"Good plan" said Mugger "But I have a question; why would I just willingly let go and willingly fall to my death? You're basically asking me to die. What living creature would willing choose to die for you?" It was then another snap was heard, this time causing them to jolt down a notch.

"We don't have a lot of options, that's for sure" said Han. Some small rocks were dislocated and fell down, disrupting a group of volants (black and green pterosaur-like creatures with dilophosaurus-like heads). They shrieked out and began soaring around.

"Or perhaps neither of us has to die" said Mugger "Them beasties' look big enough to hold both of us"

"You're right" said Han "But I've never known a wild beast that would willingly allow itself to be ridden. As soon as we get on, they'll try to shake us off"

"You're right" said Mugger "We'll have to hold on, won't we?"

"Of course" said Han "We'll go on three" There was a short silence.

"One two three!" said Han and Mugger simultaneously before they let go and landed on a volant, which screamed and swung around in response.

"Stay calm, beastie" said Mugger.

"Just hold on, remember" said Han. The volant began swinging around in an attempt to throw them off.

"She doesn't like that" said Han.

"Who would?" said Mugger. Suddenly, the volant took a dive down through the mist at an alarming speed. "Oh, this isn't good!"

"You got that RIGHHHHHT!" exclaimed Han as the volant began spinning around again, causing them both to fall off and land on something.

"Eh, we're not dead!" said Mugger. As the mist around them cleared, it was revealed that they were standing on a rocky plain covered in mist.

"Well whaddya' know, it really wasn't that far a fall after all" said Han

"So what now?" said Mugger.

"Well…I guess we just keep moving forward until something comes up" said Han.

"You know, I think I see the start of a jungle up ahead" said Mugger whilst pointing over in the distance.

"That's either a good sign or a bad sign" said Han.

 _Meanwhile_

Corea picked up and examined a little trinket that the Mechanic had on a shelf.

"So what are you doing here, anyway?" asked the Rodian "Not many would venture into the Mantellian wilderness on their own"

"My companion and I are with the Alliance" replied Corea "We were just here to take out a shield generator that was protecting an Imperial facility"

"Any enemy of the Empire is a friend of mine" said the Rodian "Make yourself comfortable. But word of advice; next time you're on a special mission like this, bring much more company"

"We just got separated from our group" said Corea "We tried to find our way back, but we couldn't find any way back or any landmarks to compare with our map. So how long have you been here for?"

"About two weeks, by my count" replied the Mechanic who was sitting at his workbench "Of course; without the proper equipment, I lose track of time"

"How did you get here?" asked Corea.

"I was travelling to Worlport to find business" replied the Mechanic "I have a particular strength in working with technology so I was hoping to find work outside of Rodia. Unfortunately, I got shot by pirates and crash-landed in the jungle nearby. When I finally managed to pull myself out, I found that I was stuck in an area filled with Imperials. I soon found myself presented with an option; either hide here in the Scraplands or face the Imperials. Given my…species, I knew the latter was a dangerous option so I hid here instead. I spent the first few days traversing the environment until I found the Savrip Village. I was wary at first, and so were they, but we eventually came to respect each other. After all, we had something in common"

"And what was that?" asked Corea.

"We were both on the run from the Imperials" replied the Mechanic "The Savrips are the natives of this planet but people like to view them as sentient like you or I. This at least enabled them to be left alone, which they much prefer; at least until the Imperials started using this area for their operations. They started cutting down the forests and burning the plains and whatnot, so the Savrips took refuge here. Good thing about the Scraplands, the Imperials avoid it at all costs; while it is inhospitable, it does at least provide a safe refuge from them"

"I noticed that the Savrips call you "the Mechanic"; is there a reason for that?" asked Corea.

"When I arrived here, I found communication to be difficult" replied the Mechanic "They have their own language but it's hard to understand and even harder to produce, I heard my throat a few times trying. So instead, I decided to teach some of them Basic so communication could at least be a bit easier. I made sure that the words they learned were at least simple so they could understand it easier. My real name is actually Krizei Tanwa, but they call me "the Mechanic" because it is easier and rather fitting. I think you would have noticed that some of the local Savrips have robotic appendages; when I got here, I lot of them were missing such appendages. Some of them had been injured by the Empire, some of them had lost them to the acid lakes around here, and some of them just got injured in general. I knew things were hard enough for them as it is, so I decided to make replacement limbs for them; I couldn't do anything too advanced with the resources I had, but I made sure they could at least walk and pick things up properly" At that moment, Chewbacca emerged from behind a pile of junk roaring.

"Really, you can do that?" asked Corea. Chewbacca roared in response. "That's amazing, Chewie"

"What is he talking about?" asked Krizei.

"He says he's found the pieces needed to make a radio device" replied Corea "We can call for help and be out of here in no time"

 _Meanwhile_

Cronos sat at his desk looking at a holographic screen when an Imperial captain entered.

"General, our probe droids have detected that a possible rebel ship has landed around the remains of General Sitra's base" said the Imperial captain.

"Are the swarm droids in place?" asked Cronos.

"They are" replied the Imperial captain.

"Don't worry, captain" said Cronos "As I had planned, the area had been made a deathtrap for Rebels. The swarm droids will only occupy a certain area unless chasing a target"

"But sir, the swarm droids aren't ready" said the Imperial captain.

"They're ready enough for the moment, captain" said Cronos.

 _Meanwhile_

A pair of Mantellian flutterplumes fought over the burnt remains of the drillers as Luke and Ahsoka looked at the damaged base.

"What happened here?" said Luke.

"It looks like the Imperials got here before us" said Ahsoka. She kneeled down and picked up the charred shard of a fuel canister. "This fuel must have got ignited and blown the whole place up"

"Hello?" said Jan into her comlink with no reply "Hello? General Sitra? Anyone? No one's responding via comlink. It's just static"

"That doesn't mean they're dead, it could be we're just within the perimeter of a communication jammer" said Luke.

"That's possible" said Jan "But given the environment around us, they may not have been lucky enough" It was then that a faint rustle was heard from within the base.

"Did you hear that?" asked Luke.

"I certainly did" replied Ahsoka "Better check it out" She turned to the entrance, which was blocked by rubble. "Better get this out of the way first" She and Luke began removing the rubble using the Force from the entrance until the entrance was clear.

"Now let's go in" said Luke.

"Be careful, this could be a trap; and even if it's not, the inside could still be unstable" said Jan "I'll stay guard here" Luke and Ahsoka entered through the entrance of the base.

 _Meanwhile_

Acashto and Alarnaa searched had reached the area in the wilderness where Luke and Ga'llaa had fought and examined the surroundings.

"It looks as though there was a fight" said Acashto "But I think all parties got out alright"

"Do you think it was Ahsoka?" asked Alarnaa.

"Probably was" replied Acashto with a sigh.

"Are you alright, brother?" asked Alarnaa.

"I had chills when I left Shili; the thought of finally meeting the girl who they told us about" said Acashto "When we learned about her, it felt as though we were merely filling a void; I was initially upset about it. Do you think she knows?"

"I imagined our parents told her about us, but not to the full extent" replied Alarnaa "But she'll have to learn of it sooner or later"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka walked through the charred out base until they reached a communication jamming array.

"So that's why we can't communicate" said Luke. Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber and cut an X-shape into it.

"Now we can" said Ahsoka "But what was that rustle from before?" A small flicker of red light flashed past them.

"It was probably that" said Luke "Whatever that was" Suddenly, a large amount of bright red lights materialized one by one around them.

"We have a knack for trouble, don't we?" said Ahsoka. Suddenly, countless large silver insect-like droids appeared out of the shadows and zoomed towards them.

"Let's get out of here!" exclaimed Luke. He and Ahsoka ran out of the base. "Jan, get to the ship!" Jan took one look at the swarm droids that raced after them and immediately sprinted off to the _Moldy Crow_. This frightened the flutterplumes and they flew away.

"Hurry!" said Jan. Luke and Ahsoka leapt aboard the loading ramp just as the ship was taking off and flew away with the swarm droids chasing after them.

"Close the ramp!" exclaimed Ahsoka.

"On it" said Jan as she closed the ramp. Suddenly, a swarm droid swooped in, snatched Luke, and pulled him out just as the ramp closed up.

"Luke!" exclaimed Ahsoka. As the swarm droids pulled Luke back, he ignited his lightsaber and began cutting them to pieces around him which soon caused him to fall. Fortunately, he was able to grab ahold of one of the droids which caused him to slowly descend and crash into the trees below. "We have to go back!"

"We can't" said Jan "These droids will tear us apart if we stay too long. I'll try to shake them off" She began flying through various rocky outcrops to shake off the swarm droids. "Hold on, I think I have an idea"

"And what would that be?" asked Ahsoka just before Jan pulled up the _Moldy Crow_ towards the sky.

"Steady…" said Jan "Steady…" Suddenly, she pulled back down past the swarm droids towards the ground.

"Okay, this is quite a lot" said Ahsoka.

"Steady..." said Jan "Steady…" Suddenly, just before the ship could hit the ground, she pulled up again, causing all of the swarm droids to crash into the ground uncontrollably. "It was a long shot, but worth it. No matter how well made or lethal a droid can get, they'll never have the right creativity"

"That…actually wasn't a bad plan" said Ahsoka "So what now?"

"As you said, we have to find Commander Skywalker" said Jan "Time for some additional help" She pressed the comlink on the dashboard.

"This is Jan Ors to Acashto and Alarnaa Tano, are you there?" said Jan.

"Tano?" said Ahsoka.

"We hear you" said Acashto's voice through the comlink "Have you found Commander Skywalker and our…sister?"

"I have, but I've got bad news" said Jan "I've lost Commander Skywalker during an attack. Send up a flare so we can rendezvous and try to find him together"

"We'll do that" said Acashto "See you then"

"So you have a brother and sister" said Jan.

"Yeah, I do apparently" said Ahsoka.

"Have you met them before?" asked Jan.

"I haven't" replied Ahsoka "But my parents have told me about them"

"Well, I guess it's time for a family reunion" said Jan.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke awoke entangled in vines. He looked up and saw that a swarm droid was crawling down towards him.

"Oh no you don't!" said Luke. Just as the droid leapt down to attack, Luke ignited his lightsaber and cut it in half, which inadvertently caused the vines around him to get cut. "That's not good!" The vines snapped and caused him to collapse onto the ground below, which was fortunately not that far. As he slowly got himself up, Ga'llaa leapt from the bushes, pinned him back down, and punched him out.

"You should've accepted your defeat with honor like a true warrior" said Ga'llaa "Instead, you have to be taken out like a coward. I thought the Jedi were capable of much more. General, I have news for you"

 _Meanwhile_

Corea sat at the top of the remains of a starship when she heard Chewbacca roar. Immediately, she slid down the side and landed next to him.

"Have you finished it?" asked Corea. Chewbacca nodded and showed her the radio transmitter. "Great; now let's get it started"

"I've made radios from this scrap in the past and they usually short out easily so I'd advise you use it carefully" said Krizei "And this is coming from someone who once made a transmitter that could communicate from Vulpter to Teth"

"We will then" said Corea "We can't contact the commando group because they're busy and have to keep radio silence, so let's try Group A and Group B" Chewbacca groaned and typed into the radio transmitter.

 _Meanwhile_

As Group A moved across the plains, Rachi Sitra stood inside an AT-TE.

"General, we're receiving a transmission from an unknown source" said Lucas. Rachi Sitra walked over and stroked her chin.

"Answer, but be cautious" said Sitra "It could be a trap set by the Imperials" Lucas answered the call.

"Hello, anywhere there?" said Corea through the communicator "This Corea Narth of the Rebel Alliance, respond"

"Corea, why are you communicating with us?" asked Sitra "You can't communicate with us whilst in the Imperial's zone"

"We're not in the Imperial's zone" replied Corea "We're in the Scraplands"

"Why in the Force are you in the Scraplands?" asked Sitra.

"We got separated from the group" replied Corea "Chewie was able to make a radio transmitter but we probably don't have long for it. We just need a transport to get us out of here. We were wondering if you could provide that"

"I'm afraid not" said Sitra "We got hit pretty hard by the Empire; all we have left is barely enough for guerilla warfare. And to make matters worse, we've only got under an hour until the attack commences; so I imagine Group B is unavailable as well"

"What about the fleet?" asked Corea "I'm sure Ackbar could spare something?"

"Last time I checked, the fleet was still engaged with the blockade" said Sitra "But I could check with them quickly"

"Hurry, we haven't got much—" said Corea before suddenly going silent.

"Hello?" said Sitra "Corea Narth, are you there?"

 _Meanwhile_

"Hello?" said Corea as sparks flew out of the communication device "Answer me! Has it short out?" Chewbacca checked it and growled. "How could it; that wasn't even—

"The short-outs vary from device to device so there's no telling how long they'll last" replied Krizei "I did say to be cautious about that" Corea sighed and looked over into the distance. She then pulled off a hologram projector from her belt and brought up a holographic map of the area the commando group was traversing. "What's that?"

"Just the map of where we were trying to get to" said Corea "Wow; now that I think about it, the second shield generator isn't as far from the Scraplands as I thought" It was then that an idea popped into her head. "Hey Krizei, what if I told you there was a possible way to thin out the Imperials in this area?"

"And what would the plan be?" asked Krizei.

"We'll gather all the Savrips together and march off to the shield generator" said Corea "The Imperials will be caught off-guard and we'll bring it down in no time"

"Would this plan involve the deaths of a lot of Mantellian Savrips?" said Krizei.

"Not at all" replied Corea "It's only an isolated facility; they're prepared for intruders, but not such a large amount of intruders" Krizei sighed.

"I'll hold to your word and inform them about it" said Krizei.

 _Meanwhile_

"There's the flare" said Jan whilst pointing over at the flare "Let's go down" Flying past a kakuona who was drinking peacefully at the river, she descended down towards the ground and landed in front of Acashto and Alarnaa. As Ahsoka got out of the ship, her attention was immediately drawn to the two of them.

"Hello Ahsoka" said Alarnaa.

"So your brother and sister" said Ahsoka "Mom and dad told me so much about you two whilst I was on Shili. It's nice to finally meet you"

"It's nice to meet you too, sister" said Acashto "My name is Acashto"

"I'm Alarnaa" said Alarnaa "We came out here in hopes of meeting. Our parents told us so much about you as well"

"I'd hate to interrupt the reunion, but we have pressing business" said Jan. Ahsoka looked off into the wilderness and walked towards it. "If Commander Skywalker is still alive, we have to find him quick; before someone else does"

"We haven't seen anything in particular so far" said Acashto "But searching for him out here could take some time. If he's alive and still conscious, it's unlikely he would stay in the same location for long"

"If he's conscious, he'll probably head to high ground" said Jan "We should start there"

"Wait, where's Ahsoka gone?" said Alarnaa.

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka sat down crosslegged in a small clearing, closed her eyes, and cleared her mind, extending herself out through the Force. She searched desperately for Luke's presence. After several minutes, she opened her eyes and breathed.

"Ahsoka?" said Acashto as he, Alarnaa, and Jan entered the clearing.

"Commander Tano, what are you doing?" asked Jan.

"I know where Luke is" said Ahsoka.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke slowly opened his eyes and was temporarily blinded by the sudden light.

"Good, you're awake" said a familiar voice "I hope that Ga'llaa didn't cause too much damage to your person" As Luke regained sight he saw that Cronos stood before him"

"General Cronos!" said Luke.

"I was wondering when we would meet again" said Cronos "Any change of thought on my offer?"

"There's nothing in the world you can offer me that could make me join the Empire" said Luke.

"Don't be so sure about that" said Cronos "I'm sure there's a good many things that I could use against you; you just don't want to admit it, like every Jedi"

"You know, it's a bad mistake keeping me in here without containment" said Luke.

"Really?" said Cronos "Did you notice that something's missing" Luke looked on his belt and realized that his lightsaber was missing.

"Where did you put my lightsaber?" asked Luke.

"That's what for you to know" replied Cronos "The point is, you can't escape; even if you kill me, you'll still be no closer to getting out"

"Why do you even want me for, anyway?" asked Luke "I thought the Empire had enough Force-users in it; one of them is even leading the army"

"You're no doubt referring to Darth Vader" said Cronos "But I've got no interest in him. At least the Jedi try not to sink into the dark side"

"You seem to know a lot about Force-users" said Luke "What's your problem with the dark side; I thought, if anything, the Empire would encourage it"

"I have been in this galaxy for more than three hundred years and I have seen much and learnt even more" replied Cronos "I've studied both the Jedi and the Sith, as well as many other Force-sensitive groups; the dark side merely clouds one's judgment"

"No kidding" said Luke.

"You don't even know the full extent, do you?" said Cronos "They follow a destructive path, leaving everyone else to suffer; they're essentially a cult who sees only their own beliefs. I've watched many organizations rise and fall and the only that has ever been logical is the Empire, it represents stability in a chaotic galaxy so I made the decision to join it; but even I admit that it's far from perfect. The treatment of Non-Humans was certainly high up the list, but not as high as the Emperor himself"

"Why don't you like the Emperor?" asked Luke.

"He's one of them, a Sith" replied Cronos.

"Tell me something I don't know" said Luke.

"That may be obvious from where you're standing; but to the rest of the Empire, he's as much a Sith as you or me" said Cronos "To them, he is still the same supreme chancellor who saved the Republic from the Separatist threat. Only a few individuals know of this; Darth Vader, General Krenin, every dark side Force-users in the Empire, possibly his inner-circle council, and even a grand admiral"

"So you don't like the Emperor because—" said Luke.

"Because to have a cult lead an organization like the Empire is to invite disaster" said Cronos "In my vision for the future, things are much different"

"You haven't exactly told this vision to anyone else, have you?" asked Luke.

"Only to a select few" replied Cronos "If I told it to just anyone, the Emperor would no doubt have me executed for it"

"And how does your vision include me?" asked Luke.

"I told you before, my dream is for the Jedi to work for the Empire" said Cronos "Imagine; Force-using warriors who are expert in the ways of the Jedi and who do fall to the dark. That's why when you join me; I'd prefer it to be willingly"

"What makes you think I'll come willingly?" said Luke.

"You will" said Cronos "If not, I'll just have to strip past the layers of your mind until all you know is to follow my orders"

"I think I'm more than you could handle" smirked Luke.

"We'll see soon enough" said Cronos. He left the cell, where Ga'llaa stood outside.

"I don't like this" said Ga'llaa "Lord Vader would be most displeased if he found out you're holding a Jedi without his permission"

"Vader's not here so he doesn't make the rules" said Cronos "And may I ask where did the other Jedi go?"

"She got away" replied Ga'llaa "There was nothing I could do about it"

"I expected more from one of you" said Cronos "I guess your reputation was exaggerated" He walked off, with Ga'llaa snarling.

 _Meanwhile_

All the Savrips gathered around the outskirts of the Scraplands, with Crusher at the front with Corea and Chewbacca. Chewbacca growled.

"I know; but it's our best shot, Chewie" said Corea "Besides, they've got as much as reason as us to dislike the Empire. You ready, Crusher?"

"Crusher ready to stop bad Imps!" said Crusher.

"That's the spirit" said Corea.

"Corea—" said Krizei as he walked up to her "I just want you to know that I'm coming with you"

"Well; firstly, you'll need a weap—" said Corea shortly before Krizei showed her a blaster in his hand "You really come prepared"

"Do you really think I'd be wandering through this planet and not find a way to defend myself?" said Krizei "But make no mistake though; if a single one of the Savrips gets killed, I'll hold you personally responsible. This isn't their war and I couldn't live with myself if they die for it"

"I understand" said Corea "I promise you it won't come to that" She climbed up Crusher's walking stick and onto his shoulder. "Alright; Crusher, let's get going" Crusher and the rest of the Savrips started walking towards the jungle.

 _Meanwhile_

"General, you've been there all day" said a rebel trooper "Shouldn't you—"

"I am merely being vigilant in case of an attack" said Feless "If the Empire finds out we're here, everything we worked for could be lost"

"We've looked around and there's no sign of any stormtroopers anywhere" said the rebel trooper.

"I've learnt from the years I spent in hiding that there are other ways to be spied on" said Feless "More subtle ways that can catch you off-guard" Hiding inside the bushes was a black Prowler 1000 probe droid which watched their every move carefully.

 _Meanwhile_

"General, we've sighted rebel forces near our facility" said the Imperial captain "What should we do?"

"Attack them on sight" said Cronos "Send the droideka dropships in first"

 _Meanwhile_

A group of Imperial dropship transports armed with droideka deployers flew in towards Group B.

"Looks like they found us" said a rebel trooper.

"Get ready for the attack" said Feless whilst igniting his lightsaber "It seems we fighting sooner than expected" The dropships began deploying droidekas which dropped down and started attacking them.

 _Meanwhile_

As the commando group ventured to the edge of the jungle, they finally reached the second shield generator.

"We finally found it" said Tani.

"Prepare your weapons, this is the one that really matters" said Orrimaarko.

"You got that right" said a voice. Countless stormtroopers surrounded them within in an instant.

"There's so many!" said Tani. She and the rest of the rebel troopers aimed their blasters at them.

"Don't bother" said a voice. A stormtrooper commander walked up to them.

"What is the meaning of this?" said Orrimaarko.

"Stupid rebels" said the stormtrooper commander "Did you really think the Empire would be foolish enough as to not make a distress call when they're base under attack; especially when another base is reliant upon it and would therefore need to amplify their security. You got this far, but there's no escaping this one. Ready…" The stormtroopers raised their blasters. "Fi—" Suddenly, a large boulder flew in and crushed every stormtrooper in its path. "What the!"

"Yeah, that's showing them!" said Corea who arrived in on the shoulder of Crusher. Following behind them were the rest of the Savrips and Chewbacca. The Savrips began crushing and smashing every stormtrooper in their path.

"Stormtroopers bad!" snarled Crusher as he wacked the stormtroopers out of the way with his staff.

"Don't just stand there, fight back!" snapped the stormtrooper commander.

"Take this, you stuck-up bucket-heads!" yelled Krizei as he fired his blaster at the stormtroopers. Eventually, the only stormtrooper left was the stormtrooper commander who held his blaster viciously towards the rebels.

"Give up" said Orrimaarko "You're outnumbered"

"I won't give up, you—" said the stormtrooper commander shortly before getting shot in the back by Han who arrived with Mugger.

"I don't think so" smirked Han. He looked around and noticed Corea and Chewbacca. "Corea, Chewie!"

"Han!" said Corea as she leapt off of Crusher's shoulder and flew down towards him.

"It's great to have you back, Captain Solo" said Tani.

"It's great to be back" said Han. Mugger cleared his throat. "Though you could give a bit of credit to Mugger; after all, I'd probably be lost if it wasn't for his intervention. Feel free to reward him in any way he'd like"

"I could use a ride back to Worlport" said Mugger "I mean, if you have the time

"We can discuss things later" said Orrimaarko "Our time limit is almost up and we have to destroy this base"

"Oh, so that's why you didn't go looking for us" said Corea.

"It's not as simple as that" said Orrimaarko "The time limit prevented us from making an intervention. We had no choice"

"No choice, huh?" said Corea "Well, I have a choice right now on whether to bust or not"

"Corea, save it" said Han "It's not worth it. Let's just get the job done"

 _Meanwhile_

Feless looked over at the facility and noticed that an Imperial army was assembling. At the front were AT-PTs and MTV-7 Multi-Terrain Vehicles whilst AT-STs, 2-M hover tanks, and Mobile Heavy Cannons supported them at the back. "Everyone, go down the hill and into the facility"

"But what if the shield's still on?" asked a rebel trooper.

"They're sending out reinforcements so they'll have to order the shield to be lowered; if we make it in time, we could get through" said Feless.

"But general—" said the rebel trooper.

"That is an order!" said Feless. As he and his troops charged downhill, Rachi Sitra's group arrived.

"Is he doing what I think's he doing?" said Rachi Sitra whilst looking through a pair of electrobinoculars "Feless, you're taking the Empire head on; are you crazy?"

"The shield will have to be taken down in order for them to get out" said Feless "This may be our one last chance!" Rachi Sitra sighed.

 _Meanwhile_

Han and the rest of the commando group braced themselves just as the shield generator exploded from the detonators inside.

"Well; it's all been tough and complicated, but at least we got some fireworks out of it" said Corea. Suddenly, Han picked her up bride-like.

"I should have done this a long time ago" smirked Han.

"No kidding" smirked Corea. The two of them kissed passionately with Chewbacca grunting and rolling his eyes in response.

 _Meanwhile_

"General, the shield generator has been destroyed" said the Imperial captain "Our shields are down"

"No, no; it's not the right time!" said Cronos.

"What are you talking about?" asked the Imperial captain.

"Nothing of your concern" said Cronos as he turned for the door "Keep the rebels busy, I'll be right back" He left the room and headed down the corridor. "Ga'llaa, take Skywalker down to my shuttle and prepare it for departure. Our time table has just been moved up. I'll make sure the Rebels stay as distracted as possible"

 _Meanwhile_

Ga'llaa entered Luke's cell.

"What; how did you get out of your containment cell?" snapped Ga'llaa.

"I was never in a containment cell to begin with" said Luke.

"And you telling me that General Cronos was foolish enough as to not contain you?" snarled Ga'llaa. Luke cautiously looked to the wide open door behind Ga'llaa.

"I suppose he was" smirked Luke. He leapt over Ga'llaa and zoomed out of the door, closing it behind him.

"Let me out!" snarled Ga'llaa.

"Sorry; I can't do that" said Luke. He looked off to a stormtrooper who was walking down the hallway and summoned his blaster to his hands.

"Hey!" exclaimed the stormtrooper. Luke force-pushed him into the wall, knocking him out.

"Thank you" said Luke shortly before rushing off down the corridor. Meanwhile, Ga'llaa looked up at the roof, leapt up, and ripped the cover of the air vent off.

"We'll see about that soon enough!" snarled Ga'llaa.

 _Meanwhile_

As the _Moldy Crow_ approached the Imperial facility, Jan looked out at the battle and noticed that it was starting to get very close to the facility.

"Well, I guess that means the shield's down" said Jan.

"Descend down" said Ahsoka "We'll handle this"

"What about Commander Skywalker?" asked Jan.

"It's okay; I sense he's out" replied Ahsoka.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Jan.

"I don't know, but I can feel it" said Ahsoka "Except…it seems so real"

"Very well then" said Jan. She descended down and lowered the ramp, allowing the three Togrutas to leap out at the battle. Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber and began slashing down the stormtroopers in her path. Suddenly, a group of droidekas rolled up to her and began shooting at her.

"What are those things?" asked Alarnaa.

"They're destroyer droids" replied Ahsoka "They're an advanced battle droid designed to destroy everything in their path. The Empire, of course, was interested in that so they made sure the production kept going" Suddenly, Luke sped up on an Imperial speeder bike, leapt off it, and let it crash straight into the droidekas. "Skyguy, you're back!"

"I hope I didn't miss much" said Luke "Hey, who are—"

"It's a long story, I'll introduce you afterwards" said Ahsoka.

"Commander Skywalker, Commander Tano; thank the Force you're safe" said a Rachi Sitra as she and Feless ran up to them.

"Can you fill me in on the details?" asked Luke.

"The shield appears to be down but we've got hardly enough to take down the base" said Rachi Sitra.

"If we don't try, there may be nothing fighting for" said Feless "This is our last chance"

"And what if we fail?" asked Luke.

"I prefer to not to dwell on that" replied Feless.

"I try not to dwell on it either" said Luke "But we can't just go at them with everything we've got, it'll get everyone killed"

"Do you have a better plan?" asked Feless.

"Well, not exactly" said Luke.

"Then until you do, I'd suggest to go along with what we have" said Feless.

"But something just doesn't feel right" said Sitra "It's almost as if they're holding…back…" At that moment, a hanger door on the facility slowly opened a large black object leapt out of it and hovered to the ground. As it got closer to them, it revealed itself to be a large mech suit armed with various blasters and melee weapons.

"Hello Jedi" said the mech suit in Cronos's voice "Welcome to the next stage of galactic warfare"

"Cronos!" said Luke.

"Shoot it!" snarled Feless.

"Wait, don't!" exclaimed Sitra as the rebel troopers opened fire at Cronos, to little effect.

"My turn!" said Cronos. He raised his blaster weapons and began shooting rebel troopers down.

"Take cover, all of you!" said Sitra "We'll handle this"

"Good, I could use a challenge" said Cronos. He leapt over to the Jedi and began shooting at them, which they deflected with their lightsabers. Luke swiftly leapt towards Cronos and slashed past the mech's waist, to no effect.

"What!" exclaimed Luke "Not even—" Suddenly, Cronos with a swish of his hand bashed him into the remains of a damaged 2-M hover tank.

"Did you really think I would make such a weapon and allow it to be easily destroyed by the Jedi?" said Cronos "You of all people should know that, Skywalker"

"What are we supposed to do then?" asked Ahsoka quietly.

"The armor itself may be invulnerable, but I doubt the joints are" said Rachi Sitra quietly "We'll have to be precise; if he figures out what we're trying to do, he'll defend himself further" The two of them ran forward, only to find themselves blocked out by a pair of energy shields projected by the mech's forearms.

"Suit also contains advanced audio sensors, allowing me to hear almost anything within a mile radius" said Cronos. At that moment, Luke leapt forward and joined in.

"Energy shields don't last forever" said Luke "All we need to do is fight harder"

"True" said Cronos. Suddenly, he blasted them forward with an energy blast. He walked over to them, charged up his main cannon, and aimed it at Rachi Sitra. Suddenly, Feless leapt forward and cut the end of the cannon off.

"Stay back!" snarled Feless. Luke got himself up, ignited his lightsaber again, and rushed forward to join in. "Skywalker, fall back and help the others; I hold him off"

"Are you crazy?" said Luke "He'll kill you"

"And everyone else if you don't get some distance" said Feless.

"I can't do that" said Luke.

"Yes you can" said Feless "Fall back and help the rest of them; that's an order!" Luke looked back at Jat Chia, Ahsoka, and the others.

"Yes general" said Luke. He rushed back and started helping Ahsoka and the others up. Cronos leapt back and fired rockets at Feless, which he pushed aside with the Force. He then fired a fibercord whip at him which got cut by his lightsaber. Feless then charged at him and struck forward towards one of the leg joints, only to get blocked off by energy shields.

"This is just the beginning" said Cronos "Imagine, an army of these suits destroying every rebel in their path; soon enough, it would be the end of your Rebellion. You may as well surrender right now"

"Never!" snapped Feless "No matter what happens, the Jedi are my kin; and while they stand by the Alliance, I will too!"

"Very well" said Cronos. He retracted out a large blade with his forearm and struck forward, stabbing Feless in the stomach.

"Feless!" exclaimed Sitra. Cronos held the body of Feless up for all to see.

"And now, you die by them!" said Cronos. He pulled Feless off and threw him away.

"Medics, cover him!" said Sitra. A group of rebel troopers (including two medics) rushed over to Feless's side. "The rest of you, open fire; aim for the joints of the arms and legs!" The rebel troopers opened fire on Cronos, but Cronos made sure to put his shields up and keep his joints out of harm's way. He rushed forward, shooting and knocking down every rebel in his path. As Feless wearily opened his eyes, he looked off at the battle and began to pull himself up.

"Sir, you have to lay yourself down" said the rebel medic whilst gently pushing Feless down "You're wound is very severe; we have to act quickly if we're to fix it up" Feless looked over at a rebel trooper's belt and noticed a pair of thermal detonators hanging off it. He extended his arm out and began to tug at them through the Force until they finally flew towards him and landed in his hands. "What are you doing?" Feless got himself up and started limping towards Cronos. "Get back here, you'll bleed to death"

"CRONOS!" yelled Feless. Cronos turned towards him.

"So you came back to die" said Cronos "Very well" He raised his blaster weapons, charged them up, and shot at Feless. However, Feless leapt into the air with all of his might and landed on the back of his mech suit. He then pressed the trigger for both the thermal detonators and placed them around the arm sockets. "What are you doing?"

"Making one last move" said Feless as blood began dripping from his mouth.

"Feless!" exclaimed Luke shortly before the detonators ignited and blew the mech suit apart. "Feless!" He rushed over to the remains of the mech suit to find what appeared to be Feless's arm lying motionlessly from underneath the remains. He began pulling the remains upwards before pushing them to the side with a force-push. "Feless…" Feless's body lay motionless on the ground. "No…" Sitra walked up to the front of the mech suit and force-pulled it off to the pilot's seat.

"I don't believe it!" said Sitra. Sitting in the area where Cronos should be sitting was the damaged remains of a grey RA-7 protocol droid.

"The mech suit was still experimental and I wasn't stupid enough to risk myself in such a matter" said Cronos's voice through the protocol droid "Anyways, I would like to congratulate you on your victory against it; savor it, for it will not last forever"

 _Meanwhile_

Cronos entered the hanger to find Ga'llaa standing by an Imperial shuttle for him.

"I'm very disappointed in your failure to collect Commander Skywalker" said Cronos.

"You're the one who didn't chain him up…" said Ga'llaa "Wait, how did you know that—"

"Let's just say that I know" said Cronos "And the containment wasn't the problem, you're the one who let him get away when you could've simply overpowered him"

"If you seriously want him that badly, I'll go collect him right now" said Ga'llaa.

"No, it will only be a waste of time now" said Cronos "Is the shuttle prepared for launch?"

"It is" replied Ga'llaa.

"Tell the pilots to set course for Kuat" said Cronos "Make sure we're not followed or shot down" Ga'llaa nodded and entered the shuttle. Cronos was about to enter the shuttle himself when the Imperial captain ran up to him.

"General, the rebels are flanking our forces" said the Imperial captain "What should we…wait, are you going somewhere?"

"I am merely leaving" replied Cronos.

"But you can't leave now" said the Imperial officer "Not when—"

"You're in charge now, captain" said Cronos.

"I'm in charge?" said the Imperial captain "Then…what should I do?"

"Merely hold the base in my absence" replied Cronos "I have full faith in you, captain; don't disappoint me"

"Well…thank you, sir" said the Imperial captain "I'll hold the base" Cronos smiled and entered his shuttle which flew off.

"Are we away from the blast radius?" asked Cronos. Ga'llaa nodded. "Good; then hand me the detonator" Ga'llaa handed him a detonator which he pushed the trigger, causing the entire Imperial facility to blow up suddenly.

"What the heck was that?" said Ahsoka.

"Did we plant any bombs or chargers?" asked Luke.

"No, not as far as I know" said Sitra "It seems that they blew up their own facility"

 _Later_

Luke and Ahsoka sat aboard the _Rogue Shadow_ chatting.

"Brother and sister, huh?" said Luke "You know; I hadn't thought about it before, but it would be nice to have siblings"

"I barely even know them yet so I wouldn't know" said Ahsoka.

"Right, right" said Luke.

"But yeah, I want to know what it feels like" said Ahsoka "But I'll be honest; ever since my parents first told me about them…I couldn't help but feel something off"

"What do you mean?" asked Luke.

"There's just something not right about it all" said Ahsoka "I can't put my finger on it, but I can…I can just feel something wrong"

"Ahsoka, listen; you shouldn't have to worry" said Luke whilst grabbing her hands "Just be thankful for what you have and try not to see the downsides too much; unless you truly believe it to be actually dangerous"

"Thanks Luke" said Ahsoka.

"Commander Skywalker, you are needed on the bridge" said Ackbar's voice through Luke's comlink.

"I've got to go, see you soon" said Luke as he got up and left.

"See you soon" said Ahsoka. She looked around the room for several moments before heaving a slight sigh. "Well; may as well get to know them better" She stood up and walked out of the ship in search of Acashto and Alarnaa. As she walked through the hanger behind crates, it wasn't long until she heard their voices.

"I'm just not sure how long we can keep this up" said Acashto "We're going to have to tell her sooner or later" Ahsoka peered out behind a crate and watched the two of them talk.

"True" said Alarnaa "And I would prefer sooner over later, but she's only just met us and it would be too much of a shock for her all at once. Believe me, I'm not fond on this either. Believe me, lying to her is too much; but we have to take it gently, we can't just tell her that we're not what she thinks we are—" At this, Ahsoka was so shocked that she sprinted off into the hallway, not wanting to hear anymore. She would've stayed for longer to find out the rest of the conversation; but after her conversation with Luke, she felt like she couldn't bear to hear anything that could hurt her family. She wanted to know the truth but at the same time didn't. Confused on what she should do, she heaved a sigh and slouched against the wall.

 _Meanwhile in the bridge_

Luke, Sitra, and Ackbar stood in front of a hologram of Kota and Lei Sarke.

"Master Feless's loss is tragic for us all" said Kota "He may have been headstrong and occasionally reckless, but he was a true Jedi nonetheless"

"It saddens me to have lost yet another Jedi" said Sarke "It seems that the Jedi are lessening in numbers despite Order 66 and the Great Jedi Purge having ended long ago"

"Don't talk to us about the Jedi Purge" said Sitra "I lost almost everyone I ever knew to it and I had to survive on Orto Plutonia for years in order to hide from the Empire"

"Of course, no offense intended" said Sarke "On that note; I am still confused on why the Imperials destroyed their own facility"

"Perhaps they didn't want us to get ahold of their secret weapons" said Luke.

"That is a possibility; but despite you pushing back, they still held some advantage over you" said Sarke "Retreating would be rather unnecessary"

"Whatever the reasons, I feel there was something behind the battle that we didn't know about that was at work" said Sitra "Something that was always at work"

 _Meanwhile in hyperspace_

As the Imperial shuttle rushed towards Kuat, Cronos stood in the passenger area and brought up a hologram of the Emperor.

"Emperor Palpatine, your highness; you'll be pleased to know that my plan was a success" said Cronos whilst kneeling "With the base on Ord Mantell destroyed, the Alliance now believes the operation to have been halted and eliminated as a threat; when in actuality, the real base of the operation is still running safely on Kuat. And, as a bonus, we were able to test out some of our new weapons to record their strengths and their weaknesses. I have it here" He held out a holodisk in his hands.

"Good work, general" said the Emperor "Per your request, you are hereby promoted to high general"

"Thank you, your highness" said Cronos whilst bowing his head.

"With your help, the rebels shall experience a threat unlike ever before" said the Emperor. The hologram turned off.

"And in return, I'll remember to thank you again on the day I become galactic emperor" said Cronos.

 **Hellman76** : I'll see if I can fit a chapter about Ahsoka leading Rogue Squadron somewhere in the series.

 **Just a Crazy Man** : I'm glad you're enjoying the story, thanks.

 **Martin** : There are lots of twists yet to come. In answer to your question before: in my headcanon; after Jar Jar finished being a senator for the Imperial Senate he ran away with Queen Julia to Bardotta and became her consort.


	10. The Mouth of the Chimaera

**The Mouth of the Chimaera**

 _Secrets revealed! With the use of stolen Separatist technology, Rebel forces have been able to locate a mysterious satellite located deep within Wild Space far away from any Rebel or Imperial outpost! With the Confederacy of Independent Systems symbol printed on it, it was soon deduced that the box hidden within it was of Separatist origin and of vital significance._

 _After all attempts to open it failed, Captain Forx Ghethib decided to bring it back to Corellia for further investigation. Unfortunately, the vicious General Krenin has caught wind of this and, with the help of Captain Pellaeon and the star destroyer Chimaera, is now on his way to intercept and capture the box for himself! What could be the reason for this act…_

 _Deep space_

"We are almost done assembling our fleet and will go into hyperspace very shortly" said Captain Forx Ghethib (a green male Mon Calamari) as he stood before a hologram of Lei Sarke and Rahm Kota aboard an MC80 _Liberty_ type star cruiser.

"Can you show me the box?" asked Sarke.

"Here it is" said Ghethib whilst lifting up a small silver metal box o the hologram's height "But we've found no key to open it and attempts to pry it open have so far failed. We considered more extreme methods of opening, but we feared it could do damage for what was inside"

"The sooner we get it back here, the better" said Sarke "Whatever secrets it holds could prove vital to us"

"And catastrophic if it were to fall into the wrong hands" said Kota.

"I assure you; if and Imperial wants this, they'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands" said Ghethib.

"I fear that may be way too accurate" said Kota.

"Captain, we've detected incoming ships from hyperspace" said a Mon Calamari officer "They appear to be of star destroyer class"

"Imperials!" exclaimed Ghethib "How did they get to us so quickly?"

"I have suspicions of possible double agents within the Alliance" replied Sarke "These things are hard to track"

 _Meanwhile_

A group of Imperial star destroyers, being led by the _Chimaera_ , came out of hyperspace. General Krenin stood aboard the bridge looking down at the Rebel ships.

"General, we've arrived at the location" said Captain Pellaeon as he walked up to him "What are your orders?"

"Open fire on the ships to keep them busy" replied Krenin "Meanwhile, I'll enter the ship with a boarding party and take them out from within. Do you have recognition of the ship it is on?"

"Yes sir" replied Pellaeon.

"Perfect" said Krenin "Commander!" Commander Cody, dressed in his clad black armor, walked up to him.

"Yes general" said Cody.

"Rally your men, we're going to board a ship" said Krenin.

"It will done, general" said Cody.

 _Meanwhile_

"We have no time for this" said Ghethib "We have to get out of here before it's too late"

"Captain, the Imperials are boarding us" said a rebel trooper through the bridge's comlink "We're going to be overrun!"

"It's too late" said Ghethib "All troops, man your battle stations. Imperial troops are boarding us as we speak and the bridge will no doubt be their target. Be ready for anything. We need to stall them as long as we can"

 _Meanwhile in the hanger_

Rebel troopers ran into battle as Imperial boarding pods descended down and blocked the hanger doors.

"Stop those pods!" yelled a rebel trooper commander as countless stormtroopers poured out and filled the hanger. As the rebel troopers fought back, Commander Cody leapt out and began to shoot them down.

"Eliminate them all" said Cody "The general has requested for there to be no prisoners" Countless stormtroopers who were followed by AT-STs and AT-MPs began to overrun the rebel troopers really quickly until only a few remained. "And to think that they're a threat to the Empire" Suddenly, the rebel trooper commander sprung him from behind, tackled him to the ground, and pointed his blaster at his head. Suddenly, a purple lightsaber lit up from the dark shadows of a boarding pod and was thrown from it, slicing the rebel trooper commander in half at the torso. The lightsaber flew back into the cybernetic hand of Krenin who leapt out and cut several rebel troopers down in his path.

"It's General Krenin!" exclaimed a rebel trooper "Stop him!" The remaining rebel troopers began to open fire upon him, but he deflected the shots, killing a lot of them in the process. He then sprinted forward and cut several of them down from the knees, force-pushed a group of them away where they got shot by stormtroopers in mid-air, force-pushed a crate over which crushed several of them, and finally impaled the last three into the wall.

"Rebels, so predictable" said Krenin.

"General, the area is secure" said Cody "What is our next move?"

"Stay here and guard the hanger bay, commander" replied Krenin "I will go to the bridge and retrieve it myself"

"Sir, is that wise?" asked Cody. Krenin gave him a bloodthirsty stare. "I do not doubt your strength or fighting capability; I am merely stating that rebel troopers can provide a threat whilst in numbers. It would be better to take an armed escort to assist you"

"I need no escort" said Krenin "What lies in the bridge is something I can retrieve myself"

"Nevertheless, it would be wiser to not go in alone" said Cody.

"Who said I was going in alone?" said Krenin. A group of Imperial riot troopers emerged from the boarding pod and walked up to him in an orderly fashion before activated their electrostaffs.

 _Meanwhile_

"You have to get back to Corellia, now" said Sarke "We cannot risk this item to fall into Imperial hands"

"I think we both know it's too late for that now" said Ghethib "The Imps are already here and they're on their way to the bridge as we speak. Worst of all, I've heard reports of General Krenin's arrival; and we all know that isn't a good sign"

"Surely you could still escape via transport or escape pod?" asked Sarke.

"The hanger is overrun by now" said Ghethib "Even I did manage to get ahold of something; I'd probably be either shot down or intercepted before I had the chance to escape. Running isn't going to solve the problem"

"I see" said Sarke "Is the precaution in place?"

"It is" replied Ghethib.

"Are you completely certain?" asked Sarke.

"I made sure of it myself" replied Ghethib.

"Then we'll have to turn to that then" said Sarke.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kota.

"We'll discuss the details later" said Sarke "If this is the way it must end, then so be it. We remember your sacrifice" Ghethib nodded.

"Incoming!" said a Mon Calamari officer. Krenin's lightsaber struck through the door and began to encircle an entrance.

"Close the blast doors!" said Ghethib. The blast doors closed over.

"That won't hold him for long" said the Mon Calamari officer.

"It doesn't need to hold forever" said Ghethib "We just need to hold it long enough to prepare ourselves" All the Mon Calamari officers grabbed blasters and aimed them at the door. "Just remember to avoid the blade" Suddenly, the blade struck right through the blast door and slowly finished the circle and was pushed off with a powerful force blast. Krenin stepped through with his riot troopers.

"Kill them all!" snarled Krenin "But leave the captain for me" The Mon Calamari officers opened fire but most of their shots were deflected by the riot troopers' electrostaffs. Krenin leapt up to the strategy table and found Ghethib cowering behind it. "Cowering in fear as your men take all the pain; I never thought I'd see this amongst the Rebel Alliance" Ghethib leapt up and pointed his blaster at Krenin, only to get his hand sliced off. Krenin then grabbed him by the neck and slammed him head first into the strategy table. Seeing the box in his other hand, he snatched it off. "You have done a great deed for the Empire this day. Valuable Separatist items like this would be out of reach for standard Imperial technology; but with your stolen Separatist technology, you have just given it straight to me. At the very least, you make good delivery boys. With the secrets this holds, this war will be tipped in the Empire's favor"

"I'll die before that happens!" snarled Ghethib.

"You say that as if it's a difficult option" said Krenin. He struck his lightsaber down and slashed him in the chest.

 _Later on Corellia_

"Running isn't going to solve the problem" said a holographic recording of Ghethib

"I see" said Sarke's voice "Is the precaution in place?"

"It is" replied Ghethib.

"Are you completely certain?" asked Sarke's voice.

"I made sure of it myself" replied Ghethib.

"Then we'll have to turn to that then" said Sarke's voice.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kota's voice.

"We'll discuss the details later" said Sarke's voice "If this is the way it must end, then so be it. We remember your sacrifice" Ghethib nodded.

"Incoming!" said the Mon Calamari officer's voice. The recording ended.

"That was the end of the transmission" said Sarke "As far as we know, Captain Ghethib is dead and the box is now in possession of General Krenin"

"There's something that's still bothering me" said Luke "How did we require the Separatist technology to find the satellite in the first place? I thought the Confederacy of Independent Systems was dissolved long ago"

"Not so much dissolved as fragmented" said K'Kruhk's hologram "At the end of the Clone Wars, the Separatists went there different ways. As you know, the Banking Clan was granted amnesty for the part they played in the galactic economy. Some of the Separatist forces, like the Neimoidians, bowed down to the Empire and were spared. Some of them, like the Geonosians, were enslaved. The rest formed the Separatist holdouts, various small factions who provided a nuisance for the Empire for years. By the time of the Corellian Treaty, what was left of them were asked to help form the Alliance; half of them denied it and have not been seen since, the other half however complied and gave us access to their technology"

"Still, it can't just end like that" said Luke "There's got to be some way out of this"

"I doubt it" said Ackbar's hologram "This transmission was almost half an hour ago and I doubt they would stay in the same position for long. It would take too long to discover where he's taken it too"

"Fortunately; it is not like that, Admiral" said Sarke "There is another way"

"Yes, this precaution he spoke of" said Kota "What is it exactly?"

"I saw that there were risks so I made sure he planted a tracking device on it" said Sarke "Wherever he's taken it too, we'll get it back; and hopefully, capture him as well"

"That was awfully convenient" said Zatt.

"A tracking device?" said Ackbar "Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"I wanted the order to be direct so I made it myself" said Sarke "It must have…slipped my mind to inform you about it"

"I'm not sure about this" said Luke "I put a tracking device on Krenin before, but he realized and used it to lure me into a trap. It seems to me like history's repeating itself"

"This wasn't a quick implant like yours, Skywalker" said Sarke "I made it clear that the device was to be given the utmost precision and be hidden from visible view. Given the time he would've had since I spoke to him upon his discovery of the box, I'd imagine he used his time to implant it carefully"

"It still seems very risky" said Ackbar.

"Then make sure you're prepared" said Sarke.

"I will admit that you're right to a degree" said K'Kruhk "If this is all true, it's too great an opportunity to turn down; especially when General Krenin's involved. We'll assemble a fleet immediately. Skywalker, Ganodi, Zatt; you'll be in charge of leading the attack"

"Got room for two more?" asked a voice. Everyone turned to see Han and Chewbacca standing in the doorway.

"Always, Han" smirked Luke.

"Heard Krenin's involved" said Han "I was wondering when that Cyber-Lizard would show his face again. This time, I'll make sure to finish the job"

"Your addition would be most admired, Captain Solo" said K'Kruhk "May the Force be with us all"

 _Meanwhile in hyperspace_

As the _Chimaera_ zoomed through hyperspace, Krenin walked down a corridor near the bridge with Pellaeon following him behind.

"Sir, I simply want to know what the box contains" said Pellaeon "I partook in the war that saw the Separatists' downfall, I should at least be given some right to know what's inside that thing"

"I appreciate your assistance in obtaining the box, captain" said Krenin "But what you need to understand is that this information is need to know. I understand you're a veteran, but that doesn't give you reason"

"I just wonder what Lord Vader would think of this" said Pellaeon.

"Ah, your old war self is sinking back in" said Krenin "Say what you will about the Separatists, but they had innovation. Whatever secrets they held to the grave are worth salvaging"

"You seem to know a lot about that box" said Pellaeon.

"I've been studying it for a long time, ever since I heard the story" said Krenin.

"And what story would that be?" asked Pellaeon.

"A story that involves what lies within this box" replied Krenin.

"And what is within?" asked Pellaeon.

"Whatever is in here is for my eyes and my eyes alone" said Krenin. He turned to leave.

"You can't just go chasing stories like this" said Pellaeon "Need I remind you that you are on my ship" Krenin turned around and walked right up to him, looming over him viciously.

"It is true that I am merely a visitor here and that you are my host" said Krenin "However, Vader gave me the rank of high general whilst you are merely a captain. I am above you, better than you; and whilst I am around here, I call every shot. Is that clear, captain"

"Transparent" replied Pellaeon

"Good" said Krenin "I hate when I have to speak down to my men" He walked forward and passed a pair of stormtroopers who were standing in the hallway. "I mean, these threats are unnecessary and only slow everything down"

"Filthy skink lizard!" said one of the stormtroopers. Krenin stopped in his tracks and turned to the two stormtroopers.

"What did you say?" said Krenin. The two stormtroopers stepped back. "No, you're not getting out of this one!" He stepped forward causing the two stormtroopers to pull out their blasters at him. Suddenly, Krenin extended his arm out and force choked the two of them.

"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Pellaeon. Krenin didn't reply. He ran up to Krenin to stop him. "You can't just—" Suddenly, Krenin punched him into the face with his other hand. The two stormtroopers dropped to the ground dead. Pellaeon carefully got himself up whilst wiping the blood away from his nose. "What in blazers was all that about?"

"An insult like that cannot go ignored" said Krenin "What business is it of yours?"

"Those were my men you killed" replied Pellaeon "You can't just go around killing them"

"I can and I will" said Krenin "As I said before; while I am here, I am in charge; which means you do not get the say that I do, including on your mens' lives. Now, if you'll excuse me" He stomped off and entered a small room at the end of the corridor, making sure to lock it and disable the security camera. He pulled out a small keycard and inserted it in a small slot on the top of the box, opening it up to reveal a small holodisc inside. He gently lifted it out and examined it for a moment. "For years I chased rumor after rumor until it led me to Utapau to discover the truth behind it. The war kept me from investigating further leading me to lose hope in it; but now, the rebels have delivered it to me" He got out a hologram projector from his belt and inserted it in. "Let's see what secrets lay within" A hologram of General Grievous appeared.

"This is General Grievous, Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Army, and if you are hearing this it means I've failed" said Grievous "Or at least that's what the Republic thinks!" He began to laugh evilly. "Lord Sidious has requested that I move the Separatist leaders to the planet Mustafar, claiming that the Republic army is about to attack. I will comply with this order, but he no doubt has an ulterior motive for this action. Whatever it is, I won't risk pure defeat. I have created another holodisc that contains the schematics for various weapons and war vehicles that have halted production due to the Separatists deeming them to be too expensive. The more precise coordinates are on disc so follow it carefully. I send this message to any Separatist remnants who survived the war in hopes that our glory may be restored; give the Republic, or whatever they are now, absolute HELL!" As Krenin paused the message, an extremely unsettling grin which stretched across each side of his head appeared on his face. He placed the hologram projector back on his belt and sprinted off to the bridge.

"Set course for Serenno!" said Krenin.

 _Later above Serenno_

The _Chimaera_ and some other Imperial ships came out of hyperspace above Serenno.

"Here we are, captain" said Krenin "Serenno, former homeworld of the Dark Acolytes"

"General, we're detecting various rebel ships coming from hyperspace" said an Imperial officer.

"How did they…" snarled Krenin. He held up the box and looked it over several times until he noticed a small bump on the bottom. He scratched it until he the silver paint that covered the extremely small tracking device was rubbed off. With a vicious snarl, he furiously slammed the bottom of the box onto the table, destroying the tracking device. "That little fish planted a tracking device and I was foolish enough to ignore it! Tell the ships to go on the offensive. I've come too far to let my plans be ruined like this"

 _Meanwhile_

As _Home One_ and the rest of the rebel fleet came out of hyperspace, the _Rogue Shadow_ flew out of the hanger and towards the _Chimaera_ with X-wing and Y-wing starfighters following them behind.

"The tracking device's signal just went out" said Luke "He must have found it" Chewbacca groaned.

"Everything makes you unhappy, Chewie" said Han "Where was it last?"

"The bridge" replied Luke "But I doubt he'd keep it there for long"

"I don't see any ships or escape pods" said Han "That's a good sign, right?"

"He could be simply setting a trap for us" said Zatt.

"There's no denying that" said Luke "It wouldn't be the first time"

"Why would the Imps come here, anyway?" asked Han "Serenno's never had a big part in this war, why start now?"

"Obviously it has something to do with the box" replied Luke "And I intend to find that out" At that moment, a hologram of Ackbar appeared.

"Commander Skywalker, I've just analyzed the ship for details and I believe it to be the _Chimaera_ " said Ackbar.

"The _Chimaera_?" said Luke "What can I tell you about it?"

"Only that it's a star destroyer that's been upgraded to the new _Imperial II_ -class" said Ackbar "This means it will have increased shielding and armament which will make it more difficult to handle. It is under the command of Captain Gilad Pellaeon" A hologram of Pellaeon appeared next to him. "He was a Republic officer during the Clone Wars who has gone on to serve the Galactic Empire. He was transferred to the command crew a few years back and has since been promoted to captain"

"What can you tell me about him?" asked Luke.

"Only that he doesn't seem to be a megalomaniac like most other Imperials I've either met or heard of" replied Ackbar "From what I've found out, he seems to be genuinely trying to make the galaxy a better place"

"Well, too bad he picked the wrong side" said Han. A squadron of TIE fighters flew out of the _Chimaera_ 's hanger and flew towards them.

"Looks like we've got TIE fighters" said Luke.

"No kidding" said Zatt "Ganodi, do you see this?"

"How could I not?" said Ganodi out of his comlink.

 _Meanwhile_

Ganodi led the X-wings and Y-wings in her ARC-170 starfighter.

"We'll keep them busy whilst you guys land inside the ship" said Ganodi "But be careful; it's crawling with Imperials"

 _Meanwhile_

"You're acting as if I don't already know that" said Zatt.

"Just try to be careful" said Ganodi.

"Brace yourselves!" said Luke as he sped towards the TIE fighters, shooting at them.

"Y'know, I must admit; you fly almost as good as I do, kid" smirked Han.

"Try to leave the snarky comments for later, Han" said Luke. He zoomed towards the hanger, shooting the turrets in the process. "And here…we…go!" He landed into the hanger.

"What are we waiting for?" said Han "Let's give them a welcome before they give us one" They exited the ship and walked out into the hanger.

"Intruders!" yelled a stormtrooper captain "Fire!" Luke and Zatt ignited their lightsabers as the stormtroopers started shooting at them.

"It's right off the bat, isn't it?" said Han as he and Chewbacca shot back until there were no stormtroopers left. "Well, that settles that; hey Ackbar, hanger's secure. Time to send in reinforcements"

"They're already on their way" said Ackbar through his comlink.

 _Meanwhile_

A group of LAAT gunships rose from _Home One_ 's hanger and flew off to towards the _Chimaera_.

"Looks like the second phase has begun" said Ganodi into her starfighter's comlink "Let's hold off those cannons" She led the rest of the rebel starfighters against the TIE fighters as the LAAT gunships flew towards the _Chimaera_. Some of them were shot down along the way but the remaining ones successfully landed in the hanger where the rebel troopers walked out of them.

"Now that we're all here, let's get this plan into motion" said Han "So who's going where?"

"Han, you and Zatt will lead the troops straight for the bridge and try to take it" said Luke "Meanwhile; Chewie and I will stir up as much trouble on the other side of the ship"

"Seriously, you two alone?" said Han "No backup of any kind? You do realize that you'll become too easy a target"

"That's the point" replied Luke "Krenin and I have earned some history together so it'll make the option of taking me all the more tempting. I've fought with him before; believe me, you don't to take him head on. Some remote Jedi action ought to grab his attention—"

"And make capturing him more easy" said Han.

"It's going to be far from easy; but yeah, basically" said Luke.

"Just try not to fall for anything he pulls" said Han "Ahsoka told me all the stories"

"I'm sure she has" said Luke. He handed a small hologram projector out to Han. "Here take this; it's a map of a star destroyer, it should get you to the bridge"

"I know my way around a star destroyer" replied Han "Besides; it's not like I don't have a lightsaber backing me up"

"Dually noted" said Luke "Okay, let's go; PROXY, stand guard. Alert us if any Imperial approaches the ships"

"Understood, master" said PROXY.

 _Meanwhile_

"Captain, several rebel ships have docked in the hanger" said an Imperial officer.

"What kind are they?" asked Pellaeon.

"Most of them appear to be LAAT gunships; but the one that's leading them appearance matches that of the _Rogue Shadow_ , a former Imperial transport under the supervision of Lord Vader" replied the Imperial officer.

"A rebel boarding party" said Pellaeon "Send out patrols to find them and stop them"

"No" said Krenin "This boarding party is here to retrieve the box from me, and we can use that to our advantage. I have a better idea"

 _Meanwhile_

Ganodi flew her starfighter throughout the masses of TIE fighters.

"TIE fighters" said Ganodi "Those damn screamin' things get on my nerves" Suddenly; a squadron of TIE bombers flew towards _Home One_. "Oh; I have a bad feeling about this. Admiral, there are a bunch heading for you right now"

 _Meanwhile on Home One_

"I see them" said Ackbar "Shoot down as many as you can. I'll handle the rest"

"Got it" said Ganodi through the ship's comlink.

"Set the bridge's shields to maximum" said Ackbar.

"Yes sir" said a Mon Calamari officer.

 _Meanwhile_

"Now remember, allow the rebels to come into the bridge; and once they're here, press this" said Krenin whilst handing Pellaeon a small remote.

"And what would this be?" asked Pellaeon.

"A gift from Lord Vader" replied Krenin.

"It's…It's not a bomb, is it?" asked Pellaeon.

"Of course not" replied Krenin "The bridge is the brain of a ship; destroy it, and the ship is rendered brain-dead" He turned to leave.

"And where are you going?" asked Pellaeon.

"I'm going to the other side of the ship to deal with the Jedi" said Krenin. He left the bridge.

"Jedi?" said Pellaeon.

 _Meanwhile_

Ganodi flew her starfighter towards the TIE bombers from behind with several other Starfighters joining her.

"Alright everyone, target the bombers" said Ganodi into her starfighter's comlink "We can't let them reach _Home One_ " She and the other starfighters opened fire at the TIE bombers and began shooting them down until there was only two left. The remaining TIE bombers reached _Home One_ 's bridge and bombed it; but due to their smaller number and the shields being set to maximum, the bridge received little damage and was knocked around from the impact.

"Stop those remaining TIE bombers before they can regroup and mount a counterattack" said Ackbar into the ship's comlink.

"Got it" said Ganodi out of the ship's comlink.

 _Meanwhile_

Ganodi pulled her starfighter up and chased after the remaining two TIE bombers.

"Alright, T/Bs; time to face a Jedi in action" said Ganodi. She steadily targeted onto one of the TIE bombers and blasted at it. "One down, one to go" The remaining TIE bomber flew to the side and sped away. "Oh no; you're not getting out of this that easily" She flew off after the TIE bomber, steadily aimed at it, and blasted it away. "I got the last TIE bomber, admiral"

"Good work" said Ackbar through her starfighter's comlink. Suddenly, a laser bolt flew past Ganodi. She looked back and saw that a squadron of TIE fighters were flying towards her.

"These guys just keep coming and coming" said Ganodi whilst pulling around and firing at the TIE fighters.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Chewbacca walked through the hallways of the _Chimaera_ , without a single Imperial in sight.

"I don't get it" said Luke "Why aren't there any stormtroopers, or dark troopers, or even the occasional droideka. Imperials keep their ships heavily guarded in chase of intruders" Chewbacca groaned. "At this rate we'll never be able to draw out Krenin"

"You're looking for me, right?" said a voice. Luke turned around to see Krenin standing before him.

"I guess I spoke just too soon" said Luke whilst igniting his lightsaber. Krenin slowly walked up to him. "To think; here I was thinking I needed to cause havoc to get your attention"

"Oh; you don't need to do that to get my attention, Skywalker" said Krenin "I can sense you anywhere on this ship; you're like a surge in the Force, it makes tracking you all the more easy" A group of Imperial riot troopers appeared from the shadows.

"I see you brought some company" said Luke.

"They're just a precaution to keep you from running away" said Krenin "I've got you into my rasp now; I'm not letting you out again" He ignited his lightsaber and summoned an electrostaff to him, activating it. Luke ran at him and the two clashed violently. "I can sense that you're looking for something, aren't you? Something that I have"

"More like something that you took" said Luke. Krenin leapt back.

"You mean…something like this?" smirked Krenin whilst pulling out the box. Luke froze in his steps. "Yes, that's it!"

"Hand that over, Krenin" said Luke whilst pointing his lightsaber at Krenin "I'm sure the Alliance will go easy on you if you assisted us with this"

"If you really want it, you'll play my game to earn it" said Krenin.

"What game?" asked Luke.

"Just a little game I've set up for you" replied Krenin "If you're willing to play it, meet me in the hanger. But you'll have to get there first. Riot troopers, attack!" The riot troopers activated their electrostaffs and walked over to Luke and Chewbacca. Chewbacca roared furiously as he fired his electrostaff. Luke lunged towards a riot trooper and began to duel it until he finally decapitated it. A riot trooper lunged at Chewbacca, but the Wookiee was able to grab onto his electrostaff with both hands, roared furiously, bash the riot trooper in the face with it, and pulled it from his hands, using it against the other riot troopers. Luke dueled with the last riot trooper until he slashed it in the chest.

"Whatever Krenin's planning we have to find out" said Luke "We can't let him or that box get away again" He and Chewbacca ran back down the hallways.

 _Meanwhile_

"We're almost there, bridge is just this way" said Han. At that moment, the sound of rolling was heard down the hallway. Han sighed as two droidekas rolled up towards them. "There's always something, isn't there?" The droidekas reached them, uncoiled, put up their shields, and started firing at them shooting several rebel troopers down. "These things are only wasting our time; we have to get rid of them and keep moving" Zatt looked over and saw a group of thermal detonators on a rebel troopers belt.

"Captain Solo, how's your throwing skills?" asked Zatt.

"Pretty good" replied Han "Why do you ask?"

"If I lift up the droids through the Force, can you roll those thermal detonators gently so they are underneath them when I put them down?"

"Well, let's find out" said Han "Hand me some of those thermal detonators" A rebel handed him three thermal detonators and Zatt lifted the droidekas up through the Force. Han gently rolled the thermal detonators across the floor towards the droidekas. As soon as Zatt placed the droidekas back down, the thermal detonators exploded within the shields and destroyed them.

"Nice job, Captain Solo" said Zatt.

"That was actually a good plan" said Han.

"What can I say?" said Zatt "When things go badly, fight technology with technology. But we had better keep moving"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Chewbacca ran into the hanger to find PROXY stabbed into the side of the _Rogue Shadow_ with an electrostaff.

"PROXY!" exclaimed Luke. He ran up to PROXY, ripped out the electrostaff, and gently helped him down. "PROXY, are you alright?"

"Master…I…I failed" said PROXY.

"What happened?" asked Luke.

"He came in…" replied PROXY "I tried to stop him…like you said…but he took me by surprise…" Luke looked off and saw that the box was lying a few feet away from him with an enviro-suit and Krenin's cape lying beside it.

"Chewie, take PROXY back inside the _Shadow_ " said Luke "I'm going to check something out" Chewbacca nodded, helped PROXY up, and took him back inside the _Rogue Shadow_. Luke ran over to the box and examined it. It was wide open and empty except for a small comm device. He reached in and took it out

"Your droid wasn't too much of a match for me" said Krenin's voice coming from the comm device.

"Where are you?" asked Luke.

"Looks outside" replied Krenin. Luke looked up outside the hanger. Standing just outside the hanger was Krenin with his mask on.

"How did you—" said Luke.

"When the Kaminoans reconstructed me for second time they gave me experimental cybernetics that protected my body from the vacuum of space" said Krenin "Added with my mask's breathing capabilities, I can now walk freely out here"

"What was inside the box?" asked Luke.

"It was just a holodisc" replied Krenin "Here" He lifted up the holodisc.

"What's on it?" asked Luke.

"Do you really I would just tell you?" replied Krenin "No; if you want to know what is on the disc, you'll play my game" Luke sighed.

"What do I have to do?" asked Luke.

"You'll notice that beside the box is an enviro-suit" replied Krenin "Put it on and we'll…discuss terms. Meet me at the top of the star destroyer, don't take too long" He leapt up and disappeared.

 _Meanwhile_

Pellaeon looked down at the trigger than Krenin gave him.

"Is something the matter, captain?" asked an Imperial officer.

"General Krenin has proven to be very difficult to work with" said Pellaeon "I mean, I've heard the stories but they never prepare you for the reality. Earlier today, I saw him kill two of my men; he didn't even think of sparing them. And now he's given me this remote telling me to activate it when the rebels arrive. He tells me it's not a bomb, but I don't know what to believe anymore"

"I've heard the stories too" said the Imperial officer "In many ways he's worse than Lord Vader. With Vader, he'll at least give you chances; with Krenin, you're a dead man the moment you make a mistake"

"It's people like him that give the Empire a bad reputation" said Pellaeon.

"Do you mean Non-Humans?" asked the Imperial officer.

"No, of course not" replied Pellaeon "Cruel sadists who show no remorse for their own men. I've lost a lot of good men to those rebels over the years; these people don't make it any easier" At that moment, Han and the rebel troopers arrived in the bridge.

"Hold it!" said Han. A pair of stormtroopers aimed their blasters at him, only to get shot by him.

"What do you want, rebel?" asked Pellaeon.

"Right to the point, that's good" replied Han "Anyways, I'll keep it simple; there's this Imperial general named Krenin. About this tall, reptilian, mechanical, wields a lightsaber; he took something from us, a small metal box" As Pellaeon looked down at the remote, he remembered what Krenin told him earlier. "Can you tell us where the box is?" Pellaeon didn't reply. "Could you please answer what I said? Can you tell us where the box is?" Pellaeon closed his eyes and pressed the button on the remote. "What's that supposed to do?" At that moment, E7-3S zoomed into the bridge and activated his flamethrowers.

"Time to fry!" said E7.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke had dressed himself in the enviro-suit and was scaling the side of the star destroyer. At the top he found Krenin waiting for him. He walked up cautiously towards him.

"I thought you would accept my offer" said Krenin.

"Let's cut to the chase, Krenin" said Luke "Show me the disc" Krenin pulled out the holodisc. He ignited his lightsaber. "Now hand it over"

"You're a bigger fool than I thought" said Krenin. He broke the disc in half and broke it several more times.

"This was all a trap, wasn't it?" said Luke.

"It was" replied Krenin "And because of you were too thick-headed and obsessive as to drive straight into it. However, I will nonetheless tell you what it contained. First, the disc told me to come here to Serenno; as for the rest, I memorized it. The only copy of the information left is in here" He gestured to his head.

"A single copy is a copy still" said Luke.

"Smart thought, poorly conceived" said Krenin "Even if you do capture me, I won't talk. But if you're truly willing to go through with it, I'll give you this one chance…" He ignited his lightsaber. "…if you can survive, that is!" He swung towards Luke and the two clashed blades together.

 _Meanwhile_

As E7 blew flames all over the bridge, a group of stormtroopers and dark troopers moved in and started shooting at the rebel troopers.

"I thought the whole point of Luke's job was to make ours easier" said Han.

"Krenin obviously planned this out" said Zatt whilst blocking the shots with his lightsaber "And we played right into it" At that moment, E7 landed in front of him and charged up his flamethrowers.

"Time for some burned seafood!" said E7. He blew his flamethrowers at Zatt who extended his hand out and just managed to block the flames out with the Force. "Maybe I should turn it up a notch!" He increased the firepower of his flamethrowers. As Zatt desperately held his own, he deactivated his lightsaber and used his other hand to blow the flames back at the manic droid, whom merely laughed insanely. "Seriously? Don't you know that I'm fireproof?!" He laughed even more insanely.

"I just hope Luke isn't having something like this" said Han.

 _Meanwhile_

Krenin viciously slammed his blade continuously against Luke's. Luke quickly peered past him and noticed the fragments of the holodisc still floating around in the same place. Suddenly, he was driven back tremendously by Krenin.

"Daydreaming?" said Krenin "Poor timing" Suddenly, an X-wing flew down and started shooting at the _Chimaera_ , causing the two of them to duck and cover. Luke took a deep breath in as he stood himself up and ran over to the holodisc fragments. He summoned as much as he could to himself and then turned to face Krenin, who had disappeared. Suddenly, Krenin leapt on him from behind and pinned him to the ground.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" said Krenin "How a thin layer of glass is all that protects you from total oblivion" He began to point his lightsaber down at Luke's glass helmet. "I've always wondered what it looks like to suffocate in space" Luke desperately wriggled out of Krenin's grip, got himself up, and ran off, only to find himself at the tip of the star destroyer. "No place to run, Skywalker…" Krenin walked up to him. "You're all mine now!" He quickly extended his hand out and force-pushed Krenin, only for Krenin to do the same thing as well causing the two of them to fly off the ship. Krenin shot out a cable from his cybernetic hand which helped him reel himself back to the star destroyer. Luke however quickly used his jetpack to help stabilize himself.

"Commander Skywalker, is that you?" asked Ganodi from his comlink.

"Ganodi, where are you?" asked Luke into his comlink.

"I'm just outside the star destroyer" said Ganodi "I've got a visual on you so I can pick you up if you're quick enough. Don't worry; I'll try to slow down. Watch out for those TIE fighters, though" Ganodi flew her Starfighter down towards Luke and slowed down. Luke used his jetpack to grab onto the wing and pull himself up. "Alright, let's go" She flew off. "What were you doing out there?"

"Krenin set a trap for me, and I went straight into it" said Luke "Oh no; Han! Han, can you hear me?"

"I can" replied Han through his comlink "But can this wait? Little busy right now"

"Han, you have to—" said Luke. Suddenly, an out-of-control X-wing flew rocketed past them. Krenin stood next to the ripped open cockpit holding an asphyxiated rebel pilot in his hands. He threw the pilot's body away, shot his cable out at Ganodi's Starfighter, and zoomed his way onto it. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"Shut up and die!" snarled Krenin. He ignited his lightsaber and slashed towards Luke. As Luke's blade met his, Luke looked around at his surroundings and came up with an idea. Luke rolled underneath him onto the other side of the Starfighter.

"Ganodi, tilt the ship to your left" said Luke "And make sure it's quick"

"But what if you fall off?" asked Ganodi.

"I'll be fine" replied Luke "Quickly, do it!" Ganodi quickly tilted her Starfighter to her left. Luke held onto the wing and Krenin used his cybernetic feet to hold on. "Oh no you don't!" Before Krenin could react, Luke force-pushed at him; this caused his feet to rip off from the starfighter and made him slip off, clawing onto the wing until he finally fell off completely. As he floated away, he extended his cybernetic hand towards the starfighter. "Quickly, go!" Ganodi zoomed off, leaving Krenin behind before he could shoot his cable again.

"Blast!" snapped Krenin. He looked over at the _Chimaera_ , realizing that he was now floating near the bridge. He shot out his cable again and zoomed towards the bridge.

"Han, you have to get out of there now…" said Luke as he and Ganodi sped off.

 _Meanwhile_

"…I've…found what we came for" said Luke through Han's comlink "You have to go"

"Got it" said Han into his comlink "Everyone, back to the ships" He and the other rebel troopers turned to leave, only for E7 to land in front of them.

"But we were just getting started!" said E7. He extended his arms out again and charged up his flamethrowers. Zatt extended his hand out and force-crushed both of them. "Darn!" Zatt suddenly force-pushed him away down the hallway.

"C'mon, let's go!" said Zatt. Suddenly, Krenin smashed in through one of the bridge's windows, leaving it open and sucking the oxygen out until it closed over.

"You weren't planning on leaving, weren't you?" said Krenin whilst his mask retracted back into his cybernetic neck.

"Everyone, leave!" said Han. As the rebel troopers evacuated the bridge, Krenin force-summoned two rebel troopers to him and broke both their necks at the same time.

"Solo, run!" said Zatt "I'll hold him off"

"You kidding?" said Han "He's crazy"

"We can't discuss this right now" said Zatt "Run!" Han nodded and disappeared through the door.

"I've already been robbed of one Jedi kill today" said Krenin "Now, you've just handed yourself over to me. I feel I should thank you" He ignited his lightsaber and lunged at Zatt and the two clashed violently.

"I won't let you get past!" said Zatt.

"I never even asked" smirked Krenin. Suddenly, he kicked Zatt in the stomach and he slammed against the strategy table. He then walked up to him and strangled onto his neck with his cybernetic hand. He slowly moved his lightsaber towards his face, only getting prevented because Zatt was holding his arm with both of his. "Die!" Suddenly, Han leapt out from the side of the door and shot at him, only for the blaster bolt to get deflected and sent towards him.

"Woah!" exclaimed Han as he quickly swung to the side to avoid the shot. The distraction allowed Zatt to pull himself free and run to the door. "Hurry!" As Zatt ran through the door, Han quickly jumped out, shot the door controls, and ran out just before the door could close over. Krenin ran up to the door just as it closed over and slammed his fist furiously against it.

 _Meanwhile_

"I told you to run" said Zatt.

"You're welcome" said Han sarcastically. At that moment, E7 flew up to them from behind.

"You're not getting away from me!" snapped E7.

"Oh yes we will" said Han. E7 pulled out his chaingun and began firing at them randomly.

 _Meanwhile_

"We're losing men out there like crazy" said Pellaeon "General, we have to retreat"

"No, we only just arrived!" snarled Krenin.

"If we send out any landing craft now, they'll shoot you down" said Pellaeon.

"Fine then" said Krenin "Commander, assemble all available troops to the escape pod area"

"What purpose is this for?" asked Cody from his comlink.

"I'll tell you when I get there" said Krenin.

"You can't be serious" said Pellaeon "They'll overpower you the moment you reach the ground" Krenin grabbed him by the collar.

"Then make sure they're busy!" snarled Krenin "Stay up here and keep those rebels busy until I finish my task on the ground"

"We can't hold out forever" replied Pellaeon "How do you expect us to hold out when you won't even tell us what you're even doing down there?"

"You tell me" replied Krenin "After all, you're the captain" He pushed Pellaeon away and strutted off. Pellaeon sighed and shook his head in disapproval.

 _Meanwhile_

"The hanger is just this way" said Han as he and Zatt sprinted towards the hanger door.

"I'm coming to get you!" laughed E7. Han and Zatt ran through the door into the hanger, where he saw Chewbacca and the rebel troopers holding off stormtroopers and dark troopers.

"Chewie!" said Han. Chewbacca growled when he noticed Han's arrival. "Don't worry, we're coming" He and Zatt ran aboard the _Rogue Shadow_. "Wait; where's Luke?" Chewbacca growled in response. "What do you mean he wasn't there? He just called me a few…oh, what the heck; I'll call him now"

"Hurry, we don't have much time" said Zatt.

"Yeah, yeah; what else is new?" said Han "Luke, where are you?"

"I'm in _Home One_ " replied Luke through his comlink.

" _Home One_?" said Han "What are you doing…never mind; let's just head off. Chewie…" Chewbacca nodded and helped pilot the _Rogue Shadow_ out of the hanger and back towards _Home One_ , with the LAAT gunships following him.

 _A few minutes later_

"…and then she brought me back here" said Luke.

"That's quite a story, kid" said Han.

"This is all that remains of the disc" said Luke whilst showing the remains of the holodisc in the palm of his hands.

"Have you talked to Ackbar about it?" asked Han.

"I have" replied Luke "It still doesn't make it easier. I mean; deep down, I knew it was a trap the whole time and yet I still chose to go into it"

"We all make mistakes from time to time, kid" said Han "Believe me, I've made plenty over the years; isn't that right, Chewie?" Chewbacca growled in response. "It's just something you've got to live with and something you need to remember the next time"

"Maybe you're right, Han" said Luke.

"Maybe I'm always right" smirked Han.

"Attention, all personnel" said Ackbar through the intercom "Attention; the _Chimaera_ has just released all of its escape pods"

"Krenin" said Luke.

"All personnel must rally to the hanger to investigate the planet" said Ackbar.

"Looks like I'll get to correct that mistake after all" said Luke. He stood up only to almost fall down due to an injured ankle and shoulder.

"More like a trip to the _Redemption_ " said Han whilst helping him down "Just let us handle this one, kid"

 _Meanwhile_

Krenin's escape pod rocketed towards the surface of Serenno.

"I have years for this" said Krenin to himself "The future is almost mine!"

 **Hellman76** : She was in chapter 6; she just doesn't have an active role during this particular point in the series.


	11. Unlikely Allies

**Unlikely Allies**

 _Mysteries above Serenno! The sadistic General Krenin has taken possession of a mysterious holodisc that contains a message from General Grevious detailing the whereabouts of long lost Separatist plans for weapons and vehicles! With the use of a secretly implanted tracking device, the Rebel fleet was able to track the Empire to Serenno and engage them in combat for the disc._

 _However; after a confrontation with Luke Skywalker, General Krenin destroyed the disc and escaped with a full battalion of Imperial troops via escape pods and have landed on the planet's surface. Now; Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookiee, with the aid of Jedi Knights Zatt Lowick and Ganodi Ueua, have been sent down to the planet's surface to track them down. But can they reach the Sarkan general in time or will the Alliance have to face an even greater threat than before…_

 _Serenno_

Deep within the rainforests of Serenno laid a crashed escape pod. Suddenly, a large metal fist slammed against the glass multiple times until eventually smashing through it. Krenin pulled himself out and looked off across the rainforest surroundings. He got out a hologram projector and brought up a hologram of Commander Cody.

"Commander, report" said Krenin.

"All of our escape pods have landed and we're exiting them now" said Cody "It seems however that some of us have been knocked off course during planet fall and we're now scattered across the jungle"

"No matter" said Krenin "I have already sent you the coordinates; follow them and we will rendezvous at the target destination. And remember; if you see any rebel activity, kill them immediately"

"Yes sir" said Cody. His hologram turned off. Krenin stepped forward and walked off into the distance.

 _Meanwhile_

Cody placed the hologram projector back onto his belt and turned back to the stormtroopers.

"All troopers, you know the destination" said Cody "Let's move before the Rebels find us"

"But commander, only a few of the escape pods have landed here" said a stormtrooper "What about the other troops scattered across the surface?"

"I'll inform them and we'll all meet at the same spot" said Cody "Let's move!"

 _Meanwhile_

Han looked out across the terrain with a pair of electrobinoculars. Chewbacca walked up to him and growled.

"No sin of any Imps yet, Chewie" said Han "And we don't even know where they're heading to, which just makes it harder" Chewbacca growled again. "I do like a challenge, Chewie; I just get a little nervous when it involves a psychotic maniac"

"Agreed, Captain Solo" said Ganodi as she and Zatt walked up to them "Krenin may not be as powerful or experienced as Darth Vader; but he's insane, which makes him more unpredictable"

"And he eludes death too, apparently" said Han "I tell you; I gave that bridge a direct shot, a DIRECT shot, and he still survived. Makes it feel like unfinished business. I tell you; I don't care if he's a Sith, payback's long overdue for that reptile"

"I wouldn't classify him as Sith" said Zatt "He's more close to a Dark Jedi than an actual member of the Sith"

"Thanks for the correction, remind me to have the full lecture sometime" said Han sarcastically "Now let's head off before the Imperials get a head start" He walked over to the rebel vehicles. "Let's get going, people. Don't want to drag behind"

"He seems to be taking charge" said Ganodi "Why are we even here?"

"In case he gets over his head" replied Zatt "Or at least that's what Admiral Ackbar told me"

 _A few minutes later_

Han sat on the top of an AT-TE and overlooked the surroundings as the rebel vehicles moved across the terrain. At that moment, Zatt appeared from an entrance.

"Han, I think you should come back inside" said Zatt "You don't want to fall off"

"I've had worse situations" said Han "Besides, I've got a good view from here; if there's any Imperial activity, I can spot it"

"Is something troubling you?" asked Zatt "You seem upset over something"

"Well…I really thought offed this guy back at Pollyium" replied Han "I had a great shot at the bridge and used full force; and yet somehow, he survived. Now not only is he back; but he's even more crazed than before, not to mention he has the Force now, meaning he can you without even touching you. Not only is he back, but he's worse than ever"

"What happened back there was not your fault" said Zatt.

"Easier to say that from where you're standing" said Han "I just unleashed one of the worst monsters of all time upon the galaxy"

"The Jedi Order has made mistakes too, monumental ones" said Zatt "And a lot of them were much worse than that"

"Y'know; what the whole deal with Sith, anyway?" asked Han "I mean, with what you said before about Dark Jedi and such—"

"Allow me to give you the full lecture, as you would call it" replied Zatt "Dark Jedi is the collective term for non-Sith dark side users. They use the Dark Side of the Force but they're not the same as Sith. Sith meanwhile follow a particular belief, one that is often shifting over the course of time but always keeps the core concepts. Sith believe was centered on their quest for power and how they took almost any means to get there, particularly when killing their master was involved"

"Wow; you Jedi are the experts at this lore stuff" said Han.

"Meaning?" asked Zatt.

"What I mean is; you can learn about all the wildlife on Naboo, the entirety of Onderon's wars, even why anyone would ask an H'nemthe out, and yet the Jedi have all these stories that the rest of us have never known" said Han

"It's not really our place to discuss them on a regular basis" said Zatt.

"Place to discuss them?" said Han "At times you Jedi really start to feel detached from the rest of us"

"I wouldn't call detached but—" said Zatt.

"But you guys are a little more cut off from the rest of us" said Han.

"I do admit that we are a little cut off from the rest of the galaxy, but it's part of our tradition" said Zatt.

"Cutting yourself off from the galaxy, not the greatest idea" said Han "It's a big galaxy and you have to be prepared to survive it. If you really want to know what you're protecting, go out there more and have a good long look at it yourselves" Zatt looked out and noticed a crashed escape pod. He slipped back into the AT-TE.

"Stop the vehicles, we've found something" said Zatt. The AT-TE and other vehicles stopped. As Zatt ran out of the AT-TE, Han slipped off it and they both walked over to the crashed escape pod.

"This is an Imperial model, alright" said Han "How many stormtroopers do you think it carried?"

"None" said Zatt. He pointed over to the mud in front where a track of footprints had formed. At that moment, Ganodi and Chewbacca walked up to them.

"These don't match any living creature" said Ganodi as she examined her footprints "These were made by something mechanical"

"Krenin!" said Han. Unbeknownst to them, a scout trooper stood hidden behind a log, watching them with a pair of electrobinoculars.

"Encircle the area" said the scout trooper "We'll try to hit them at all angles"

"With the numbers we have, I doubt we can take all of them out" said another scout trooper.

"We don't have to take all of them out, just the leaders" said the first scout trooper "We'll shoot them dead and then run into the undergrowth where they can't follow us all at once. Remember; if we stand by and allow them to interfere with General Krenin's plans, he'll have our heads. Now go!" The scout troopers ran off in different directions.

"He must have gone off in that direction" said Zatt "Obviously he's trying to reach whatever he's looking for"

"He can't be too far then" said Han "I mean, he is moving on foot"

"We can't risk it" said Ganodi "Scouts, go on ahead in that direction; try to find Krenin" The rebel troopers on speeder bikes nodded and zoomed off.

"And what do the rest of us do?" asked Han.

"The rest of us will continue onwards" replied Ganodi "These footprints may only lead us in a general direction, but we're sure to find something more along the way. We don't know exactly what he's after, which just makes tracking all the more difficult. Until we get some idea of what it is, we'll have to make do with rudimentary tracking skills" At that moment, a scout trooper with a sniper rifle shot at Han, only for Chewbacca to grab ahold of his wrist and pull him out of the way just in time.

"Woah!" said Han "Now that was close"

"Snipers!" said Ganodi whilst she and Zatt ignited their lightsabers. Sniper shots from all around them began to fire wildly at them.

"I hate these guys!" said Han. Zatt leapt up to the area where the first sniper shot came from and blew away the bushes in its way, only to find that they had disappeared.

"Blast, must've moved!" said Zatt. As a blaster bolt flew through a tree and shot past Chewbacca, he turned around and fired his bowcaster twice, the second shot hitting the scout trooper and causing him to fall over (whilst screaming out a Wilhelm scream) and land right on the ground at the tree's roots. Han looked to the side to see some rustling in the bushes as the first scout trooper ran out

"Everyone, retreat back into the forest!" said the scout trooper into his comlink. He disappeared into the undergrowth of the rainforest.

"Oh no you don't!" said Han "Chewie, quick!" Chewbacca growled as the two of them ran off after the scout trooper into the undergrowth.

"Captain Solo, wait!" said Ganodi as she chased after them. As the scout trooper got deeper into the rainforest, he quickly stopped, got out two thermal detonators, and threw them up at the trees above himself, causing them to start to collapse down as the detonators detonated.

"Try to get past this, rebels!" said the scout trooper as he ran off.

"C'mon, we can still make it!" said Han as he and Chewbacca quickly ran past the collapsing trees.

"Han, Chewie; wait!" exclaimed Ganodi, just before a tree collapsed down in front of her. She looked up at the collapsing tree. Suddenly, a large tree crashed down towards her. She quickly force-gripped it and threw it to the side before darting of out of the rainforest and back into the open.

 _Meanwhile_

As Han and Chewbacca descended down into the undergrowth, their surroundings darkened.

"This ain't good" said Han "Maybe this wasn't such a bright idea after all" Chewbacca groaned. "You know; next time something like this happens, try to say that before I go through with it" Suddenly, a blaster bolt shot into Chewbacca's shoulder causing him to roar out in pain. "Chewie!" Chewbacca fell to his knees and lied himself against a tree.

"Your Wookiee looks like he's in great pain" said the scout trooper as he walked up to Han "Do you want me to put him out of his misery?"

"My Wookiee?" said Han whilst pulling out his blaster "You're referring to him as if we're not equals?"

"Save the sentimental rubbish" said the scout trooper "C'mon out, boys" The remaining scout troopers walked out and surrounded Han. "You made a big mistake coming here. Killing you now just became much easier" Suddenly, several blaster bolts flew threw him and he collapsed onto the ground dead.

"What in the?" said Han. Suddenly, a group of Nosaurians ran in and began killing the scout troopers.

"AH!" screamed a scout trooper as a Nosaurian stabbed him in the shoulder with a dagger and pushed him into a tree branch.

"Wow; looks like we've got ourselves some help, Chewie" said Han. After all of the scout troopers were dead, the Nosaurian who stabbed the scout trooper began speaking in Nosaurian to the others before pulling out his blaster and holding it up at Han, with all the others joining in. "This is either really good or really bad"

 _Meanwhile_

Zatt walked over to the body of the scout trooper who Chewbacca shot, kneeled down, and examined it. He noticed that the scout trooper had a datapad on his belt, picked it up, and placed it within his jacket. At that moment, Ganodi walked up to him.

"Did you find Han and Chewie?" asked Zatt.

"I'm afraid not" replied Ganodi "The scout trooper used thermal detonators to block off my path"

"Then we'll have to remove it immediately" said Zatt.

"No Zatt, we have to stop Krenin" said Ganodi "The distractions we have, the further away he gets. I'm sorry, but we have to move out now if we've want any hope of stopping him" Zatt closed his eyes and looked down.

"We never got to this part of our training, did we?" said Zatt.

"No, but now we have to do it" said Ganodi.

"Assemble the troops" said Zatt "We'll head off now"

"Agreed" said Ganodi. As she walked off, Zatt got out the datapad from his jacket and looked at it.

 _Meanwhile_

As Krenin walked throughout the rainforest, he heard an incoming speeder noise coming from behind him. As he turned around, he saw the rebel troopers on their speeder bikes zooming up to him.

"I've got a visual on Krenin" said a rebel trooper into his comlink "We'll try to outmaneuver him but keep him—" Suddenly; Krenin grabbed ahold of the front of his speeder bike, the impact of which was so great that it sent the rebel trooper flying off it. Krenin then slammed the speeder bike on top of him to finish him off.

"Surround him!" said another rebel trooper. The remaining speeder bikes began circling around Krenin.

"Very unwise!" said Krenin. He leapt on top of one of the speeder bikes and threw the rebel trooper head first into the ground. He then shot down the remaining two speeder bikes and then sped off.

 _Meanwhile_

The Nosaurians had bound both Han and Chewbacca's hands behind their own backs and were leading them up a hilly area. Chewbacca growled.

"Really?" said Han "You have a bad feeling about this; don't you think it's a little too late for that?" As the lead Nosaurian said something in Nosaurian, Chewbacca growled. "Actually no; I never really learnt Nosaurian, so I have no idea what they're saying" Chewbacca growled. "Well; it wasn't really a common language that I had to learn in my line of work, so I didn't see any reason to learn it"

"We can hear you, you know" said the lead Nosaurian.

"You speak Basic!?" exclaimed Han.

"Seeing as how almost every planet demands that you have to; yes, we did **have** to learn it" replied the lead Nosaurian.

"Where are you taking us?" asked Han.

"Back to our camp" replied the lead Nosaurian "I have already signaled our leader of your presence"

"I wondered what that glowing mouth thing was" said Han "By the way, there wouldn't happen to be a med-bay at this camp? My friend got shot back there and he could use some—"

"Our leader shall decide your fate" said the lead Nosaurian "And on that note, you should consider yourself lucky that we were on patrol at this very moment; otherwise you'd probably be dead"

"If you seriously don't like the Imperials then why did you attack us?" asked Han.

"Just because we both dislike the Empire that does not make us allies" said the lead Nosaurian "It's a large galaxy and not everyone is going to be your friend, get used to it" Han breathed a sigh.

 _Meanwhile_

As the rebel vehicles moved along, Ganodi kept an eye out for any trace of Krenin along their path.

"Do you see anything yet?" asked a rebel trooper.

"Not yet" replied Ganodi "And the footprint trail ended ages ago. We're essentially going in blind"

"Ganodi, you may want to see this" said Zatt as he entered "I examined the body of one of the scout troopers and found this" He removed the datapad from his jacket.

"An Imperial datapad?" said Ganodi "What does it say?"

"It took some time to get into it" replied Zatt "It was extremely decrypted, what with Imperial codes and all—"

"Just cut to the chase" said Ganodi.

"Well, anyways; I was able to decrypt it and that's when I found it: coordinates" said Zatt. He brought up an image of the coordinates on the datapad. "I think each of the troops were given it, he must have been prepared for situations like this"

"You always were prodigy in technology" said Ganodi "If all the Imperials are heading to the same area, there'll be a whole lot of them when we get there"

"Then we'll just have to be ready then" said Zatt "Pilot, we're setting a course"

 _Meanwhile_

The Nosaurians brought Han and Chewbacca into a small clearing in the forest where an encampment lay. The branches of the trees stretched over them so far that barely any sunlight was present. As the two of them were brought into camp, they found themselves surrounded by Nosaurians who were minding their own business.

"This is some setup you've got going" said Han.

"It's the best we can do with what little resources we've been able to get ahold of" said the lead Nosaurian. He brought them to the center tent and they entered it. "Thortak, we found these trespassers on our patrol"

"Tresspassers?" said Han. At the center of the room sat a male Nosaurian who stood up to reveal himself. The top two of his horns had been badly damaged around the edges and a bony shape lay on the bottom of his chin which resembled a beard. He walked up to Han and Chewbacca.

"A Human and a Wookiee?" said Thortak "Where did you find them, Martarg?"

"They were just past the outskirts of the forest" replied Martarg (the lead Nosaurian) "We found them under attack by Imperial troops" There was a short silence.

"So they've finally reached us" said Thortak "I should have known it would happen eventually" Chewbacca groaned. "Your Wookiee companion seems distressed"

"He got shot in the shoulder pretty bad back there" said Han "We were actually wondering whether you'd be able to help us"

"Take the Wookiee to our medic" said Thortak. Martarg and brought Chewbacca out of the tent. "I assume you're both with the Rebel Alliance"

"Yes, actually" replied Han "I must say, you're awfully generous"

"Don't get too comfortable" said Thortak "The moment your friend is healed, both of you will have to leave"

"Seriously?" said Han "Why?"

"The Alliance has no place here" replied Thortak "You have already brought enough trouble to us by leading the Empire here"

"First of all, we didn't lead the Empire here" said Han "Second of all, the Empire has no interest in you guys—"

"Perhaps not" said Thortak "But since they are here now, they're bound to find us"

"What business do you have with the Empire?" asked Han.

"It all started a long time ago" replied Thortak "At the outbreak of the Clone Wars, our planet swore loyalty to the Confederacy of Independent Systems; and when the wars were over, we were one of the Empire's first targets. When they attacked us, we fought back with as much strength as we could muster. But it all ended at the Battle of Half-Axe Pass; the Empire outnumbered us by a hundred to one, and it ended with our forces depleted and massacred. The few of us who survived the conflict were either executed or enslaved by them. Some of us were eventually able to escape and we've been on the run ever since; without the right resources or numbers, we're no good. The Empire never took a big interest in Serenno, so we used it as refuge for many years. It seems all that has ended now. It's amazing, isn't it; even after we've been beaten, crushed, and left defenseless, the Empire still insists on making us suffer"

"If the Empire does find you, what are you going to do?" asked Han.

"Whatever will happen will happen and there's nothing I can do except go along with it" replied Thortak "It's the only way"

"No it isn't" said Han "The Alliance can help you; they can get all of you offworld. It's better than just staying here and letting it happen"

"I've lost many friends and family to those monsters; at this stage, there's barely anything left to fight for" said Thortak "I lost everything. The men you saw outside; they're no warriors, not any more. We're just a bunch of runaway slaves who've managed to last longer than most. But if our end is truly imminent, then we can at least not go down without a fight"

"You'd rather burn out than fade away" said Han.

"Aye" said Thortak. At that moment, a Nosaurian ran into the tent.

"Thortak, Imperial troops have discovered our camp" said the Nosaurian "We're under attack"

"It seems to have been sooner than expected" said Thortak. As he moved towards the door, Han stopped him.

"Don't do this" said Han "You can still retreat"

"If we run, it'll only delay the inevitable" said Thortak "At least this way we'll know we tried. Even if history repeats itself, if all of us are to be killed by the Empire today, we'll at least have made an effort" He then stepped outside where the Nosaurians fought back against the stormtroopers. "I'd suggest getting yourself and the Wookiee out now"

"I don't think Chewie would be the one to back down from a fight like this" said Han "He knows all about being enslaved"

"Get in!" said a stormtrooper as he and the others charged in. Suddenly, Chewbacca ran out of the med-bay tent roaring furiously and began shooting them down with his bowcaster.

"A Wookiee!" exclaimed a stormtrooper "How is that—" Chewbacca shot him down. Chewbacca then let out a painful howl as he held onto his shoulder in pain.

"Chewie!" exclaimed Han. He pulled out his blaster and ran over to Chewbacca, shooting down stormtroopers in his way. "Chewie, you alright?" Chewbacca groaned in response. "Then try not to stretch it much" He helped Chewbacca. It was then that he noticed that the shooting had stopped. "Wait, is that it? I honestly thought there would be more"

"The Imperials were short in number" said a Nosaurian "I thought taking us by surprise would enable them to charge in; but when the Wookiee got involved, it turned against them real quick" At that moment, Martarg walked up to them with two other Nosaurians behind him who were carrying Cody in by the arms.

"We found their leader" said Martarg.

"What are you going to do with him?" asked Han.

"We'll take him back inside and tie him up" replied Martarg "And when he wakes up, we'll interrogate him"

 _Meanwhile on Corellia_

Kota and Sarke stood in an interrogation room with Fey'lya sitting at the table in front of them.

"I told you already, I am not associated with any underworld groups" said Fey'lya.

"I admire your persistence, but there's no use keeping it up" said Sarke "You'll only waste all of our time, including your own"

"You're the one wasting time by continuing with this false idea" said Fey'lya "I didn't do anything!"

"We'll be the judge of that eventually" said Sarke "We'll continue this tomorrow" He and Kota walked out of the room where K'Kruhk waited for them outside.

"If he's lying then he deserves an award" said K'Kruhk "He seems to have absolutely no idea on what you're talking about"

"He must have been preparing for a situation like this for some time, which would explain why we've found little evidence against him" said Sarke "But we'll keep looking"

"I can't help but feel that we're going in the wrong direction with this" said Kota "Fey'lya may be arrogant and power-hungry, but committing criminal activity just doesn't seem like him"

"Obviously a ploy to cover up his true natures" said Sarke.

"Perhaps if we were to try a Jedi Mind Trick—" said Kota.

"I thought that was supposed to only work on the weak minded" said Sarke whilst cutting in.

"True, but a combined effort could be more effective" said Kota.

"You are dismissed, Jedi" said Sarke.

"Excuse me?" said Kota.

"You are dismissed" said Sarke. Kota and K'Kruhk walked out of the building.

"That seemed rather abrupt" said Kota.

"I don't like this" said K'Kruhk "Something is very off about Lei Sarke"

"Can you define "off"?" asked Kota.

"He appears out of the blue almost and we know nothing about his past or how he got to that position" replied K'Kruhk "And then he abruptly becomes chief-of-state without anyone knowing. We haven't even seen Mon Mothma since. To make things even more confusing; he keeps getting secret information from the Empire or already has a strategy worked out. Back at the meeting, neither you nor Ackbar had any idea about the tracking device he had planted upon the box. It just seems very sudden and uneasy"

"Do you think his arrival could be connected to the growing darkness from Korriban?" asked Kota.

"I don't know for sure, but it could be a possibility" replied K'Kruhk.

"Until we know for certain, we'll have to play along" said Kota "We cannot jump to assumptions like that and do something rash"

"I just hope it's not too late" said K'Kruhk.

 _Meanwhile_

Krenin arrived at a large cliff face on the speeder bike where all the remaining stormtroopers had gathered.

"Good, you're all here" said Krenin as he stepped off his speeder and walked over to them "Where is the commander?"

"Commander Cody and his men have not arrived" replied a stormtrooper captain "I tried contacting them but there was no response"

"No matter, we'll proceed as planned" said Krenin.

"But general, the coordinates you sent us lead up this cliff" said the stormtrooper captain "Without any vehicles, the only way for all of us to get up here at once is to scale it"

"Then what are you waiting for?" said Krenin "Get out the climbing cables"

 _Meanwhile_

As Cody slowly regained consciousness, he found himself inside a large tent whilst surrounded by Nosaurians. When he tried to move, he found that he was tied to a pole with a chain.

"No escape now, Imperial" said Martarg "We have you at our mercy"

"Whoever you are, I'll let you know that I'm a professional" said Cody "I don't crack to conventional torture"

"Good thing we're anything but conventional" said Martarg.

"Hold up!" said Han as he and Chewbacca stepped through the crowds of Nosaurians within the tent "Before anyone starts torturing anyone, we should at least get a good idea on who this guy is" He kneeled down to Cody. "We'll start by removing the helmet" He pulled off Cody's helmet to reveal his face. "Woah!"

"Got a problem?" said Cody "Not all of us can stay young forever, you know"

"It's not that" said Han "I mean you do seem pretty old for a stormtrooper. It's just; you look a lot like Boba Fett. I didn't know the Empire was hiring Mandalorians"

"I'm no Mandalorian" said Cody "My number is CC-2224, but I prefer the name Cody. Before the Empire, I was a clone trooper who commanded the 212th Attack Battalion"

"Clone trooper?" said Martarg. He rushed over. "You mean like the ones who attacked New Plympto?"

"Never been to the place" replied Cody.

"Maybe you didn't personally, but I know very well that clone troopers were the ones who led the charge against my people at the Battle of Half-Axe Pass" said Martarg "Even after they surrendered, you still murdered them without mercy"

"I didn't do anything" said Cody.

"You might not have been involved in that battle, but I bet there have been countless others just the same" said Martarg as he pulled out his dagger "Tell me; did you ever counted how many lives you've destroyed, how many lands you've desecrated, how many innocents you've murdered?"

"How am I supposed to count?" asked Cody.

"You're right, you can't!" snapped Martarg "You done so much that you've never kept count of it! You know; as a child I heard stories about how the clone troopers were respectable soldiers, despite our homeworld being aligned with the Separatists. But after what you did to my home, I understand that you're nothing more than a bunch of savage brutes with no regard for life whatsoever!"

"We were just doing what we were ordered to" said Cody.

"And that's supposed to make it better?" said Martarg "That's supposed to make it right?" He swiftly placed the dagger at Cody's throat. "Listen here; I don't care if we can get information out of you or not, I will take your life so you know how it feels to be left utterly defenseless! You're dead! You hear me?! DEAD!"

"Okay, I think he's had enough" said Han.

 _Meanwhile_

As Krenin and the stormtroopers scaled up the cliff face, they reached a halfway ledge that was large enough to stand on.

"We're almost there" said Krenin "I can feel it within my grasp"

"General, there appears to be rebels following us" said a stormtrooper. Krenin looked down and saw Zatt, Ganodi, and the other rebel troopers scaling up the cliff face after them.

"Jedi!" snarled Krenin.

"How were they able to follow us?" asked the stormtrooper captain.

"That doesn't matter" replied Krenin "We're almost at the top and we cannot allow them to get in the way" He grabbed two stormtroopers by the back of their necks. "Stop them!" He threw the two stormtroopers off of the ledge and down towards the scaling rebels. The first one was a jumptrooper who activated his jetpack and flew down. The other one however was just a standard stormtrooper who fell down screaming.

"AHHHHHH!" screamed the stormtrooper.

"All jumptroopers, go down!" snapped Krenin. The jumptroopers activated their jetpacks and flew down towards the rebels.

"We've got trouble" said Ganodi "Imperial jumptroopers incoming!" The jumptroopers slowed down to their height and began shooting at them.

"We can't let them hold us off for long" said Zatt whilst igniting his lightsaber to deflect the blasts.

"That's obviously his plan" said Ganodi "We just need to avoid going along with it"

"Easier said than done" said Zatt.

 _Meanwhile_

As Han walked towards Thortak's tent, he heard raised voices coming from it which he could barely make out from his distance. At that moment, Martarg stormed out of the tent.

"Shouldn't you be gone by now?" said Martarg.

"What was all that about?" asked Han.

"And what business is it of yours?" snapped Martarg.

"You're probably, it might not be my business" replied Han "I just want to know anyway" Martarg sighed.

"If you must know, fine!" snapped Martarg "I'm sure Thortak has told you the story?"

"He told me a story about how you got into the position you are now" replied Han.

"I'm assuming he left out the details" said Martarg "Did he mention about Bomo Greenbark?"

"No, he didn't" replied Han.

"Bomo Greenbark was perhaps the greatest Nosaurian I have ever known" said Martarg "I was only a child when the Empire invaded and enslaved us, shipping us offworld for a life in servitude. I was amongst a large group who were bought by a crimelord and I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life in chains; but then he came along. Bomo was the sole survivor of the Nosaurian Resistance and he had been travelling across the galaxy to free us one by one. He killed the crime lord and freed us. Since we were civilians, we had very little survival skills; but he taught us. He taught us how to fight, he taught us how forage for food, he taught us when to fight and when to retreat. He was my mentor"

"What happened to him?" asked Han.

"He left" replied Martarg "There were more slaves to free and he had a long job ahead of him. I have never seen him since. Thortak was put in charge because he had helped the rest of us through the tough times"

"You don't sound convinced that he's doing a good job" said Han.

"I fear that he may not be leading us in the right direction" said Martarg "You may have noticed that when the Imperials arrived, his only plan was to fight back with no strategy. That's about the third time he's done it, almost like he wants to die"

"Why would anyone do that?" asked Han

"I'm worried that old age and a mistreated life have taken its toll" replied Martarg "He's become broken and wants out of this life at all costs, even if we all go with him"

"So you were thinking of putting a blaster bolt in his head?" said Han.

"Regardless of what you may think, Solo; we're not savages" said Martarg "He needs help, but I fear that we may never find any"

"Always caring about their own problems and never helping anyone else out, that's the galaxy for ya'" said Han.

"Why do you want to help us so much?" asked Martarg "The moment we met you we put a blaster to your face and yet you still insist on sticking around despite repeated requests to leave. What do you know of being a slave?"

"You're right; I don't know" replied Han "But Chewie does. During the early days of the Empire, Kashyyyk was invaded and the Wookiees were enslaved. Chewie was one of them and he escaped. I tell you; after what I've seen, slavery is something the galaxy can honestly do without. Heck, perhaps I should tell you about the time me and Chewie took out a Zygerrian slave ship and handed it over to the slaves onboard" At that moment, a Nosaurian walked up to them.

"What do you have to report?" asked Martarg.

"Whilst out on patrol, I discovered something" said the Nosaurian "I have located a large group of Imperial troops situated at the cliff near the palace ruins. They appear to be fighting off Rebel Alliance forces"

"I guess they finally caught up to them" said Han. Martarg scratched his chin.

"Assemble the men; half of us will leave at once, half of us will stay behind to hold fort" said Martarg.

"I thought you guys didn't want to get into this" said Han.

"Thortak may have made poor decisions, but he's right about one thing; Imperial forces on this planet is merely the start" said Martarg "If we leave to their own devices, there'll be no end to it. But if we are to fight, it may as well be on our terms rather than hunted like game. There's just something I have to deal with first"

 _Meanwhile_

Martarg and two other Nosaurians entered Cody's tent.

"Watch him" said Nosaurian whilst pointing at Cody "If he makes any move to escape, kill him" The two Nosaurians nodded their heads and Martarg left. However, Cody subtlety pressed a button on his wrist piece.

 _Meanwhile_

Krenin and the remaining stormtroopers reached the top of the cliff.

"Stay here and keep the rebel forces at bay" said Krenin "Captain, you follow me" He walked off with the stormtrooper captain following him behind.

"Sir, what is it that we're looking for?" asked the stormtrooper captain.

"I already told you; it is need to know, and you don't" replied Krenin. As they walked across the landscape, they found themselves in front of the remains of a large palace which appeared to have been abandoned as it was covered in overgrown vines and the usual green light from the windows had disappeared.

"What is this place?" asked the stormtrooper captain.

"If you must know; this was once the palace to Separatist leader Count Dooku, a former Jedi Master turned politician" replied Krenin.

"What happened here?" asked the stormtrooper captain.

"After he died near the end of the Clone Wars, the palace was left abandoned" replied Krenin "Imperial forces searched it for anything valuable; either he made sure it was cleansed of valuable information in the event of his death or he simply didn't keep any within it to begin with. But my target is not what's inside their, but rather what lies to the side" They walked over to the rainforest which lay to the side of the palace where a bright white marble mausoleum sat.

"Is that his tomb?" asked the stormtrooper commander.

"A token tomb" replied Krenin "There was no body to bury. Stay out the front and alert me of any rebel activity" He walked over and entered the mausoleum. He walked down the steps towards the tomb itself. "And now, what I've waited for a long time" He pushed off the top of the tomb where another box lay. He picked it up and clipped it onto his waist.

 _Meanwhile_

The rebel troopers had climbed up the cliff and were now in battle with the stormtroopers. Whilst fighting past the stormtroopers, Ganodi looked down and saw Krenin's footprints.

"I see his footprints" said Ganodi "Quickly, we have to catch him" She, Zatt, and a few rebel troopers followed the footprints over to the mausoleum.

"Halt!" yelled the stormtrooper captain whilst raising his blaster. He fired a shot at them but Zatt deflected it and it hit him back.

"He must be in there" said Zatt. They ran inside with weapons poised, only to find that the room was empty. "He must have got out"

"But how?" said Ganodi as they exited the mausoleum "There's only one entrance; and if that stormtrooper was standing guard then he must have thought he was still in there. We'll have to search around for clues again" Suddenly, Krenin leapt down from the roof of the mausoleum and landed on the shoulders of a rebel trooper, twisting his neck as he leapt off and stabbed another rebel trooper with his lightsaber.

"Looking for me?" smirked Krenin.

"Attack!" yelled Ganodi. The rebel troopers began to open fire upon Krenin, but he deflected their shots with his lightsaber and slashed them across the chest with a quick swipe. A rebel trooper snuck up behind him and aimed his blaster at him, but Krenin swung around, pinned him to the ground, grabbed him by the wrist, and pointed the blaster at his head.

"What have you done?!" exclaimed the rebel trooper.

"I've killed you all!" replied Krenin in an almost deadpan beat. He pulled the trigger and shot the rebel trooper. Zatt and Ganodi leapt at him and clashed their lightsabers against his. "You're pretty strong, for a couple of fools who think they're Jedi"

"We are Jedi!" said Zatt. Krenin force-pushed both of them back and leapt onto the entrance of Dooku's palace.

"Alright then; if you are truly Jedi, then take me" said Krenin "See if you can catch me before I can escape. You're choice, of course" He ran inside of Dooku's palace.

"He's baiting us" said Ganodi "I've read up about him, it's what he does; he tricks Jedi into positions like this so he can corner and kill them easier"

"I know, but we have to stop him" said Zatt.

 _Meanwhile_

As Cody slowly shifted his shackles, the two Nosaurians aimed their blasters at him.

"What are you doing!?" snapped one of the Nosaurians.

"Just making myself feel more comfortable" replied Cody.

"Well, try to do it quietly" said the Nosaurian as he and the other Nosaurian lowered their blasters "Martarg gave us specific orders to watch you and kill you if need be"

"I know" said Cody "I heard"

"To don't get it, do you?" said the Nosaurian "You're at our mercy and yet you still show no respect"

"I've got no reason to" replied Cody "I'm your prisoner, not your guest"

"All the more reason to be respectful of your captors" said the Nosaurian. Suddenly, both he and the other Nosaurian were stabbed in the back by sharp blades and collapsed to the floor dead. As E7-3S stepped forward, he ripped off Cody's shackles, and helped him up.

"Vader was right, you do come in handy" said Cody "Good thing we brought you along with us"

"There are more outside" said E7 "Just give me the order and I'll annihilate every single one of them"

"I just saw them take out a full battalion of my men without a single casualty on their side" said Cody "Even if we have the element of surprise, there's point risking it. Let's get out of here while we still can"

"How do you expect to get off the planet?" asked E7.

"There's a city nearby that could provide a transport" said Cody whilst placing his helmet back on "I'm sure they'll listen to reason"

 _Meanwhile_

Zatt and Ganodi entered Dooku's throne room in search of Krenin.

"Where is he?" said Zatt quietly. Suddenly, a statue of Count Dooku that stood to their side toppled over towards them.

"Look out!" exclaimed Ganodi as she pulled Zatt to the side as the statue crashed down. As the two got themselves up, Krenin leapt down in front of them.

"I was hoping you would comply" said Krenin.

"We know what you're trying to do, Krenin" said Ganodi as she and Zatt ignited their lightsabers "You're trying to force us into a fight on your own terms, but it won't work"

"Yet you came anyway" said Krenin "Don't you want to know why I lure my opponents like this? All of this is a game to me; an important game, but a game nonetheless. Whenever I feel like it, I make the most of my prey; setting challenges for them to attempt to complete which only brings more satisfaction to killing them. Have you ever thought of what it's like to kill a Jedi? You pride yourselves on being the most powerful beings in the galaxy; so killing you has a true sense of fulfillment to it, almost like killing a god. It's a pity there aren't more of you to kill; once you're all gone, I'll have to fill my hunger elsewhere"

"We won't ever fall!" said Zatt "Not to you or anyone!"

"You already have" said Krenin "Order 66 was the Jedi's fatal blow" He ignited his lightsaber. "This war is your last breath!" He lunged at them and began clashing his lightsaber against theirs. "You've got persistence, I'll give you that"

"Stop talking!" said Ganodi.

"Okay then" said Krenin. He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her head towards his blade.

"Ganodi!" exclaimed Zatt. He force-pushed Krenin away, who quickly got back onto his feet again and charged at them, clashing his lightsaber violently against Zatt's. Ganodi leapt at Krenin from behind, but the cyborg Sarkan grabbed her by the neck with his foot and slammed her into the ground. He then kicked Zatt so hard that he flew into the desk near the window. Ganodi pulled herself up and slammed her lightsaber down at him. With a quick punch, he knocked her over with his metal fist. Zatt got himself back up and charged at Krenin, who dodged to the side, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and threw him to the ground.

"I'm getting bored now" said Krenin "There's point in savoring any of this anymore"

"Then why don't you savor this?" smirked a voice. Krenin turned his head to see Han, Chewbacca, the Nosaurians, and the remaining rebel troopers standing at the doorway. "Word of advice, try to bring more troops next time" Zatt and Ganodi got themselves up and joined the others in front of Krenin.

"Well played" said Krenin "And if circumstances were different, I would gladly slaughter every last one of you. However, I'm done here and it's time to take my leave" He rushed off towards the window.

"Stop him!" said Han. He, Chewbacca, and the others began shooting at Krenin but he smashed out the window just in time to escape. Zatt and Ganodi rushed over to investigate, but found that he had vanished.

"Search the area" said Ganodi "If there's any chance of capturing him, we have to take it"

 _Meanwhile_

Krenin slowly climbed down the side of the cliff using his claws and leapt off when he was down far enough. He then got out a hologram projector and brought up a hologram of Captain Pellaeon.

"It is done" said Krenin "I now require a transport, and I would advise an armed escort in case of rebel fire. I'm sending you my coordinates now"

"It will be done" said Pellaeon.

"And remember; the moment I am back onboard the ship, we are to depart back to Cato Neimoidia immediately" said Krenin.

"Understood" said Pellaeon. The hologram deactivated.

 _Later_

Zatt looked over the ledge where Krenin had disappeared when Ganodi walked up to him.

"Still trying to look for him?" said Ganodi "Well, I've got some bad news; our scouts spotted an Imperial shuttle with a group of TIE fighters depart nearby, so we can assume he was on it. To make matters worse, I just got a transmission from Admiral Ackbar stating that the Imperials have retreated. It looks like he's out of our reach again"

"Any luck with the mausoleum?" asked Zatt.

"We've looked it over and over and have found nothing" replied Ganodi "I've just got the bad feeling that whatever Krenin was looking he found it"

 _Meanwhile in hyperspace_

As the _Chimera_ raced through hyperspace, Krenin entered a small room, removed the box from his waist, and tore it open. Inside was another holodisc which he placed within a hologram projector. A hologram of various vehicle and weapon schematics was brought up which created a large and slimy grin which stretched across the corners of his face.

 **Author's note** : Just to let everyone know, I'm taking a midseason break because it's been difficult handling two different fanfictions at once and I feel that I need to be more focused. Don't worry, I'll return later this year once I've finished my other ongoing fanfiction season. In the meantime, don't forget to leave reviews as they really help with my confidence and motivate me forward. Anyways, bye for now!

 **Hellman 76** : Don't worry, more and more characters are on their way.

 **Martin** : I admit that I don't really know much about Star Tours so I never thought about adding it or not.


	12. War Dawn

**Author's note #1** : Well, looks like I'm finally back. I've long since missed writing for this series but I'm glad that I finally got my other fanfic out of the way so I could focus more on _Galactic Civil War_. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

 **Author's note #2** : This chapter is set before the events of my prologue similar to how _Cat and Mouse_ and _The Hidden Enemy_ were set at the start of _The_ _Clone Wars_.

 **War Dawn**

 _Assault on Mygeeto! The Galactic Empire has seized control of the frozen and crystallized world and have enslaved the peaceful Lurmen! A vicious admiral by the name of Jamek Loucli has been placed in charge of an almost impenetrable blockade that now blokes anyone from entering or exiting!_

 _In response, Chief-of-State Mon Mothma and Princess Leia Organa have sent Admiral Ackbar and his fleet in to break through the blockade and start the attack. But even with Wedge Antilles and most of Rogue Squadron backing him up, can he successfully break through the blockade…_

 _Home One over Mygeeto_

"Admiral, they're starting to flank us" said a Mon Calamari officer.

"I understand" said Ackbar "Hold position" Ackbar's fleet was in battle with the blockade of star destroyers surrounding Mygeeto. "Antilles, what is your status?"

"We're shooting down as many as we can, but I'm not sure if it will be enough" replied Wedge through the ship's comlink. Wedge's X-Wing and a group of X-Wings and Y-Wings flew past the window.

"And try not to fly too close to our ship" said Ackbar.

"Got it" said Wedge. A group of TIE fighters began following them. "Looks like we've got some TIEs on our tail; everyone, make your movements more erratic. Try to lose them"

"Will do, Wedge" said an X-Wing pilot through his ship's comlink "Wait…Wait…AHHHH!" A flaming X-Wing shot past Wedge.

"We've lost one" said Wedge "Everyone, take care" As they turned around, a TIE fighter aimed and shot down a Y-Wing before another X-Wing was shot down by them.

"Wedge, we're losing ships faster than we can even count" said a rebel pilot through his starfighter's comlink.

"Just hang on, guys" said Wedge "We've got this handled" They turned around again until they were behind the TIE fighters. "NOW!" They shot wildly at the TIE fighters and destroyed them. "We got 'em alright"

"Good work, Antilles" said Ackbar "That some true flying back there"

"Battle's not over yet, admiral" said Wedge "We've still got one big score to settle"

 _Meanwhile_

On board an Imperial star destroyer, Field Commander Brucoo (a Caucasian man with a bald head, greying facial hair, and brown eyes) stepped aboard the bridge towards a group of Imperial officers gathered around the strategy table.

"Admiral; with the incoming conflict, should I leave to the surface now?" asked Brucoo.

"No…No…" said Admiral Loucli who was busy examining the strategy table. He was a Caucasian man with brown greying hair and a skinny body frame. "No one is changing position until I say so"

"What use do you have for me aboard this ship?" asked Brucoo "I am a field commander, my work is on the ground"

"You'll leave eventually" replied Loucli "But until then, stay at the ready" He turned around revealing his left eye to be green and his right eye to be cybernetic. "Now, all fire upon that _Liberty_ cruiser"

 _Meanwhile_

"Steady…Steady…" said Ackbar.

"Sir, the star destroyers have drawn their fire upon one of our cruisers!" exclaimed a Mon Calamari officer.

"What!?" exclaimed Ackbar "Get it out of harm's way!" The _Liberty_ type cruiser that the star destroyers had fired at burst into flames before exploding. "No…Tell all ships to set their front shields to maximum immediately"

"It could talk time, admiral; but we'll do our best" said another Mon Calamari officer.

"And tell them to stay out of range of the star destroyers' fire" said Ackbar.

"Admiral, we have a transmission coming through" said another Mon Calamari officer.

"Bring it up" said Ackbar. A hologram of Loucli appeared on the strategy table.

"Admiral Gial Ackbar, I presume" said Loucli.

"And I presume that you're Admiral Loucli" said Ackbar.

"Admiral Jamek Loucli to be precise" said Loucli "And I intend soon to be Grand Admiral"

"You know they have limited space in those positions" said Ackbar.

"I know" said Loucli.

"What do you want?" asked Ackbar.

"Very well" replied Loucli "As you can see, I will not hesitate to destroy every single one of you; but there is a way out. Surrender or retreat, either will do fine"

"Do you really think that we're just going to do that?" asked Ackbar.

"I imagined that you'd be more reasonable" replied Loucli "Are you really willing to risk the lives of all of your men including yourself in some attempt to break through my blockade which has already shown to withstand almost anything?"

"Nothing is truly impenetrable" said Ackbar "Including your fabled Death Star"

"Fair enough" said Loucli "But your fleet isn't completely impenetrable either. My offer withstands. I'll give you ten standard hours to make your decision. If you haven't, then I'll let loose hell upon you" The hologram switched off and Ackbar sighed.

 _Meanwhile_

"Why are you giving them a chance like this?" asked Brucoo.

"Because, Commander Brucoo; either way will work in our favor" replied Loucli "Should they surrender, the terms will be in our favor. Should they retreat, we will then have ample time to buff up our blockade should they return"

"And what if they do neither?" asked Brucoo.

"We've already held our own against them" replied Loucli "If either side is going to win this battle, it will be us"

 _Later_

"And we've still got ten standard hours to make a decision or we're done for" said Ackbar as he stood before a hologram of Mon Mothma and Princess Leia.

"Then what do you plan to do?" asked Mon Mothma.

"I…I'm not sure" replied Ackbar "If I surrender, we'll throw away everything we've worked up to. If I retreat, Loucli will only increase his forces. If I do nothing after ten hours, they'll kill all of us. Is Captain Solo available?"

"I'm afraid he's off on a smuggling mission with Chewbacca at the moment" replied Leia.

"And K'Kruhk's fleet is still busy around Dxun" said Mon Mothma.

"Then we're cooked" said Ackbar "There's no way out of this without being cooked"

"There is one reinforcement coming your way however" said Mon Mothma "A single pilot with great skill"

"Who is it?" asked Ackbar.

"Let's just say that you won't be disappointed" replied Leia "And last I checked, he's almost there"

 _A few minutes later_

A _Nu_ -class attack shuttle descended down towards _Home One_ and landed in the hanger. A humanoid figure walked out being followed closely behind by R2-D2.

"Well, that settles it; looks like Nien wins again" said Wedge as he played a game of sabacc with Nien Nunb and Derek Klivian. Nien chuckled.

"Seriously, what's so funny about all of this?" asked Derek. The three of them had their attentions instantly drawn to the figure who stepped across the hanger and into the corridors. The figure walked through the corridors with every trooper, pilot, and officers staring at him with disbelief. The figure stepped into the bridge where Ackbar was busy at the strategy table.

"What is it?" asked Ackbar whilst still paying full attention to the holograms.

"I'm here to help, that's what" replied the figure. Ackbar stood himself up straight and turned around seeing that the figure was none other than Luke Skywalker.

"Commander Skywalker" said Ackbar.

"You can call me Luke" said Luke.

"So you're the reinforcement Mon Mothma told me about" said Ackbar.

"Correct" said Luke. He stepped over to the strategy table and looked down at the holograms.

"How experienced are you with battle strategies?" asked Ackbar.

"I wouldn't say complete strategies, but I'm good with plans" said Luke. Ackbar sighed. "Don't worry; I'm not reckless if that's what you think"

"So many people who are are convinced that they are not" said Ackbar.

"We just need some time to figure something out" said Luke.

"Ten hours" said Ackbar.

"Excuse me?" asked Luke.

"We have ten hours to think of something" replied Ackbar "Fill him in; I'll need some rest for the moment" He turned to leave. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Commander Skywalker" He turned and left.

"Not the best first impression" said Luke. Ackbar walked down the hallway until he reached his quarters, closed the door behind, and face-palmed himself.

"Where did it all go wrong?" said Ackbar. He walked over to a small cabinet, picked up the Mon Calamari battle baton that lay on it, and looked at it mournfully. He then looked up a painting of Coral City he had on his wall, sighed, and sat down on his bed.

 _A few minutes later_

"Is it just me or does the admiral seem a little…off?" said Luke as he and Wedge walked through the hanger.

"He's been through a lot of stress recently" said Wedge "It hasn't been an easy campaign. The Imperial blockade is the only thing standing between us and the forces on the ground and we just can't get past it. We're losing more and more ships each day and there are very few reinforcements we can call upon due to the rest of the war. And if we retreat, the blockade will only buff themselves up"

"Between a rock and a hard place, huh?" said Luke "I know how that feels" At that moment, he bumped his shoulder into a ship.

"You alright, Luke?" asked Wedge.

"Yeah" replied Luke "Just a little bump is all" He stepped backwards to look at the ship, which was the _Rogue Shadow_. "What kind of ship is?"

"The kind that you should avoid bumping into" said a voice. Luke and Wedge turned around to find themselves facing Juno Eclipse. "So you're Luke Skywalker, the one who everyone keeps talking about" She extended her hand out. "I'm Captain Juno Eclipse"

"I heard of you" said Luke whilst shaking her hand "You were one of the original members of the Rebel Alliance"

"That's correct" said Juno "I may not have originally been a rebel, but I've been here since day one" Luke turned his head back to the _Rogue Shadow_.

"So this is your ship?" asked Luke.

"It's called the _Rogue Shadow_ " said Juno "It's been with us since day one as well. You can enter if you'd like, but try not to screw anything up" The three of them entered the ship and walked around it until they reached the training room.

"Wow" said Luke.

"Hi there!" said a voice. Luke stepped back a step as PROXY walked up to him.

"Who are you?" asked Luke.

"That's PROXY, he comes with the ship" replied Juno.

"What do you use him for?" asked Luke.

"For training" said PROXY.

"What kind of training?" asked Luke.

"The lightsaber kind" replied PROXY. He took the form of Obi-Wan Kenobi, ignited his lightsaber, and slashed towards Luke who stepped back.

"Woah!" exclaimed Wedge.

"Stay back!" said Luke "I've got this" He pulled his lightsaber from his belt, ignited it, and clashed with PROXY until eventually force-pushing him back into the wall where he turned back into his normal form.

"Good job" said PROXY "You really know how to act under pressure"

"So you are a Jedi" said Juno.

"Well…sort of" said Luke.

"What do you mean sort of?" asked Juno.

"He's not a knight yet, that's what he means" replied Wedge.

"So how long have you been training?" asked Juno.

"Since…last year" replied Luke.

"Then you've got a long way to go" said Juno "I heard that it takes more than a decade to earn the title of knight"

"Then I'll just have to push myself harder" said Luke.

"Poor choice of words" said Juno "C'mon, I'll show you the cockpit" She lead the two of them to the cockpit.

"So what do you use this ship for?" asked Luke.

"Usually for spying or smuggling" replied Juno "The ship has a working cloaking device that can't be detected by anyone, not even Imperials"

"Really?" said Luke.

"Why do you ask?" asked Juno.

"Say Juno, do you mind I borrow it for something?" asked Luke.

 _A few minutes later_

Ackbar lay in his quarters staring at the ceiling when a female Mon Calamari officer entered.

"Admiral, come quick" said the officer.

"What is it?" asked Ackbar.

"Commander Skywalker has proposed a possible plan" replied the officer "He wants to go over it with you" Ackbar got himself up and walked off to the bridge where Luke stood before a hologram of an Imperial star destroyer.

"Admiral, good; you're here" said Luke.

"As you requested" said Ackbar "So what is this plan that you're proposing?"

"The plan is this" replied Luke "We've separated Admiral Loucli's ship amongst the blockade. We'll send a team in to sneak onboard the ship, capture him, and take him back here. Without their leader, the blockade's efficiency will go down"

"And how do we get onboard the destroyer?" asked Ackbar "The blockade will shoot down any rebel ships on sight"

"That's where Captain Eclipse contributes" replied Luke "Her ship, the _Rogue Shadow_ , has a cloaking device that the Imperials cannot detect" A hologram of the _Rogue Shadow_ flew underneath the star destroyer and landed on it. "We'll then walks out in an environment suit and sneaks into the hanger, preferably unnoticed. After capturing the admiral; we will then dash to the hanger, the _Shadow_ will swoop in, and we'll escape back here"

"Are you sure this is going to work?" asked Ackbar.

"Sure; I mean, I think it's the best we can do at the moment" replied Luke "Besides; it's only one task, so it shouldn't take too long"

"That aside, who would lead such a dangerous mission?" asked Ackbar.

"I will" replied Luke.

 _A few minutes later_

"Onboard, R2" said Luke as R2 wheeled himself up the ramp beeping with several rebel troopers following him "That's good, boy" At that moment, Juno walked up to him.

"I trust you can pilot it?" said Juno "After all, it's more complicated then you're standard X-Wings"

"I've done transports before" replied Luke "Besides; I'm a quick study at these things"

"Just make sure it comes back" said Juno "If anything happens to it, I'll hold you personally responsible"

"Lucky for me; if anything happens to it, I might not be coming back either" said Luke. For a brief moment, Juno looked over the _Rogue Shadow_ with a feeling of both nostalgia and mournfulness.

"But take care of yourself too" said Juno whilst placing her hand on Luke's shoulder "Don't want that Princess nagging at the rest of us to explain why you're not here anymore"

"No one wants that" said Luke. As Juno turned and walked away, Ackbar walked up to him. "Admiral; I know that you may disapprove of this, but I will do anything to—"

"I came here to let you know that I'm coming with you" said Ackbar.

"Wait, what?" said Luke.

"Going in alone is dangerous, yes; even with a squad with you" said Ackbar "But you don't have to lead it alone"

"But Admiral, what if you don't come back?" asked Luke.

"Then I don't come back" replied Ackbar.

"But the fleet needs you" said Luke.

"I'd imagine quite a few of the Rebellion would be upset if you didn't come back either" said Ackbar

"But are you sure you're up to this?" asked Luke.

"Don't worry, I've had more military experience than you could imagine" replied Ackbar "Let's just say that I'll have your back. Now let's get going before time runs out" The two of them entered the _Rogue Shadow_ and took off out of the hanger.

"Okay, let's engage cloak" said Luke. He activated the cloaking device and the ship disappeared. "Alright, let's go in" They flew towards the Imperial blockade.

"There's Admiral Loucli's ship" said Ackbar.

"Then let's go there" said Luke. They moved towards Loucli's star destroyer.

"I'd never thought I'd ever find myself flying towards an Imperial fleet like this" said Ackbar.

"First time for everything" said Luke. They flew down underneath the star destroyer. "Steady…steady…" They landed onto the bottom of the star destroyer and magnetized on. "Got it!"

"Onto the next stage then" said Ackbar.

 _A few minutes later_

Luke, Ackbar, and the rebel troopers walked across the bottom of the star destroyers in environment suits. Luke looked down (or rather up) at the planet of Mygeeto which they orbited.

"Look at that view" said Luke.

"Please, Commander Skywalker; we should stick to the task at hand" said Ackbar.

"On it" said Luke. As they reached up to the hanger, they looked out and saw about five stormtroopers gathered around. "Good thing there's only a few of them"

"And any one of them could set off an alarm" said Ackbar.

"Which I guess is what this is for" said Luke as he summoned his blaster to his hand.

"Wait, where's your lightsaber?" asked Ackbar.

"I left it with R2" replied Luke.

"Why would you do that?" asked Ackbar.

"If they knew I was a Jedi of sorts, they'd up their game or provide harder security if I got captured" replied Luke "So I figured that it would be better if I just didn't bring it"

"On the other hand, facing an entire destroyer filled with stormtroopers with just blasters puts us at a disadvantage" said Ackbar whilst pulling out his own blaster "We'll have to up the stealth"

"Agreed" said Luke "Now let's go" He and Ackbar hopped up out and into the hanger.

"Intruders!" exclaimed a stormtrooper "Blast them!" The stormtroopers opened fire on Luke, Ackbar, and the rebel troopers who shot back until each of them were dead.

"Well that's them done" said Luke.

"There's going to be more" said Ackbar.

"We can take them" said Luke.

"I'm sure we can, but it might only delay the inevitable" said Ackbar "Which is why we should avoid these confrontations whenever possible"

"Agreed" said Luke "Now let's get out of here" Unbeknownst to them, one stormtrooper remained and was hiding behind a landed TIE fighter, watching them carefully.

"Bridge, we've got intruders" said the stormtrooper quietly into his comlink

 _Meanwhile_

"Admiral, a stormtrooper has alerted me that he has spotted intruders in the hanger bay" said an Imperial officer "It's a team of rebel troopers being led by a Human and a Mon Calamari"

"So the Alliance has made a move" said Loucli "And it's a very poor one"

"Calamari!" snarled Brucco under his breath "Should I take a squad and capture them?"

"No" replied Loucli "Keep all security around the bridge, the life support system, and the shielding; but stay out of sight"

"Why should we do that?" asked Brucoo.

"Whatever reason they have for coming onboard, they will try to get one of those places" said Loucli "Let us wait and let them fall into our hands"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ackbar walked carefully through the corridors of the star destroyer with their blasters at the ready.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone around" said Ackbar quietly.

"I know" replied Luke "It's like the place is deserted" They walked along until they reached the entrance to the bridge.

"There it is, the entrance to the bridge" said Ackbar.

"We'd better be prepared" said Luke "It's going to be one heck of a firefight"

"I don't think so" said a voice. Commander Brucoo appeared from the shadows with several stormtroopers and dark troopers, all of whom had their blasters raised at them.

"You really came prepared, didn't you?" said Luke.

"You have no idea" said Brucoo "Now drop your weapons!" Luke and the others reluctantly dropped their weapons.

 _A few minutes later_

Luke, Ackbar, and the rebel troopers were escorted to the cells by Brucoo and the stormtroopers and sent in.

"Move it!" snapped Brucoo whilst pushing Ackbar into the cell.

"By blazers, what was that for?" asked Ackbar.

"Fish filth!" snarled Brucoo whilst placing the shields over the cell.

"Sir, Admiral Loucli is on his way now" said a stormtrooper.

"Good, he'll deal with this rebel scum personally" said Brucoo. He turned back to the cell. "Then he'll make sure the rest of your fleet suffers"

"Not very hospitable to your guests" said Luke.

"The admiral gave you the option to walk out of this alive and you squandered it" said Brucoo.

"We both know that you were going to kill us anyway" said Ackbar "You may as well stop pretending now that you have us prisoner"

"Shut your slimy mouth, you lamprey!" growled Brucoo.

"You seemed to be quite offended by my presence" said Ackbar "Are you afraid that I'm contagious or something? Then you should have thought twice before pushing me in"

"Why you—" said Brucoo as he pulled out his blaster.

"Settle down, commander" said Loucli as he entered. He looked over at the prisoners. "Excellent work, Commander Brucoo"

"Thank you, admiral" said Brucoo.

"You are now dismissed" said Loucli "Take a shuttle and join General Veers's forces on the planet's surface"

"Will do, admiral" said Brucoo. He left down the hallway.

"So this is what you decided to use your time for?" said Loucli whilst turning back to the prisoners "Well, I can't say that I am surprised by that"

"Given how your staff has treated us, it may have been for the better that we at least did something" said Ackbar.

"And it has cost you dearly" said Loucli "If you had at least surrendered or retreated before as I had offered, you all could have gotten out of this; but now, I'll make sure that none of your entire fleet is spared. And with them gone, I'll increase the number of ships in my fleet to make sure that no one will ever attempt to get through ever again. You've dragged everyone down with you"

"Do what you want with me, but if you harm a single part of my fleet—" said Ackbar.

"You're in no position to bargain, try not to make threats you cannot live up to" said Loucli "Besides, I need you as alive; and preferably unspoiled"

"Why?" asked Ackbar.

"You're not just a mere rebel admiral; you're a key military leader in the Alliance" said Loucli "The secrets you know dig deep into Alliance intelligence, stuff that the Emperor himself would be very, very pleased to find out. With the Alliance forces driven away and their supreme military commander in my custody, my promotion is assured. Now sit back and relax; after this battle is over, it's going to be a long trip back to Coruscant" He turned and left for the bridge. "Open fire upon the Alliance fleet. Spare none of them"

 _Meanwhile_

"Okay, now let's see" said Wedge as he Nien and Derek played Sabacc shortly before Nien showed a winning hand.

"Ahh, not again!" said Derek. Nien chuckled.

"Talk about your "alien luck"" said Wedge. Nien chuckled again before the whole hanger shook causing him to utter something in Sullustese. "I don't know. It's just something sudden" At that moment, Juno ran up to them.

"Everyone, get to your ships now!" said Juno.

"Do you know what's happening?" asked Derek.

"The Imperial blockade is attacking us" said Juno "Now get to your ships now!"

"And just when I thought I was getting the hang of this game" said Wedge as he rushed off to his X-Wing and put his helmet on.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke punched the wall.

"Stupid!" said Luke "I should have brought my lightsaber from the beginning!"

"We all make mistakes, commander" said Ackbar "We can choose to either to be bitter about it or learn from them"

"And this one's just doomed us all!" said Luke "How are we supposed to learn from this?"

"That's what I thought years ago in the aftermath of the Invasion of Mon Cala" said Ackbar. Luke turned back to face him.

"What happened?" asked Luke.

"It was years ago, shortly after the Clone Wars had ended" replied Ackbar "Back then, I was the captain of the Mon Calamari guard; I had sworn an oath to protect our king at all costs. King Lee-Char was still new to his reign but he was a devoted and fair leader who wanted nothing more than peace between our people and the Quarren. But then the Empire came and attacked; Governor Tarkin personally oversaw both the battle and the aftermath. We fought back but we were vastly outgunned and we fell. Lee-Char was killed during the battle while I was fighting off Imperial forces outside the palace"

"I'm sorry" said Luke.

"You see, this is where things got really painful" said Ackbar "I understood that I had no true control over the situation. Heck; if I had been with him, I probably would have been killed as well. But I still feel responsible, even though I wasn't the one who killed him. Not a day goes by that I don't think of what might have been had I chose to stay by his side the whole battle. But it is futile as I know that you cannot undo the past"

"What happened to you afterwards?" asked Luke

"The Empire subjugated the planet and used our resources" replied Ackbar "I was a slave for years until Captain Eclipse freed me and recruited me for the Alliance. And it turns out that the Empire's subjugation of the planet proved good for both species; the Mon Calamari and the Quarren united together and rebelled and eventually reclaimed the planet. Even with Lee-Char gone, his legacy lived on in us. But this war never gets any easier; each day, more and more of us die and there's no end to it. But you never give up hope, because that is when you are truly defeated"

"But nonetheless still, we're stuck in here and there's nothing we can do" said Luke.

"Not quite" said Ackbar "I still remember beforehand when you told me that the Empire would know that you are a Jedi if you brought your lightsaber, and you were right. If they knew who you are, they would have given extra security"

"And how does that get us anywhere?" asked Luke.

"Because while we were being escorted inside, I managed to snatch a keycard off of Brucoo while he wasn't looking" replied Ackbar.

"And how does that help?" asked Luke "Keycards only work on the outside"

"Exactly" replied Ackbar "Which is why I purposely dropped it when I was pushed inside" He turned his head over to the side and Luke looked down at the keycard on the ground

"Great work, admiral" said Luke. He force-lifted the keycard and placed it within the security slot, causing the shield to go down.

"Ready, let's go!" said Ackbar.

 _Meanwhile_

Wedge and the other pilots flew out of the hanger bay and towards the Imperial blockade.

"Stay focused, guys" said Wedge "Remember; our job is to destroy the TIE fighters and keep them off our ships so they can focus their fire on the blockade. And don't go into the blockade; unless you're suicidal, that is" They flew towards the TIE fighters and shot wildly at them

 _Meanwhile_

Luke, Ackbar, and the rebel troopers snuck through the corridors quietly.

"We have to find a way to communicate with R2 to bring the ship around so we can escape" said Ackbar.

"But we'll have to get the admiral first" said Luke.

"And why would we do that?" asked Ackbar.

"We're desperate now" replied Luke "We have to capture him to have an advantage"

"Except he's on board the bridge around several stormtroopers and now we have no weapons" said Ackbar "We're vastly outnumbered and outgunned"

"Well, we have to do something" said Luke "We just—"

"Look out!" yelled a stormtrooper's voice. The sound of shooting and lightsaber swinging was heard down the corridor.

"By the Force!" said Luke. He rushed off down the corridor.

"Skywalker, wait!" said Ackbar as he and the rebel troopers followed after him. When Luke arrived, he found the bodies of many stormtroopers lying at the feet of the combat stance figure of Obi-Wan Kenobi who turned his lightsaber off and took the form of PROXY.

"Hello there" said PROXY.

"PROXY, what are you doing here?" asked Luke.

"The short droid sent me up here" replied PROXY.

"R2?" said Luke.

"Yes, that one" said PROXY "He told me that he was worried because you hadn't called back in some time so he sent me up here to make sure you were alright; he also informed me to kill any Imperials in sight, no witnesses. Oh, and he also told me to give you this" He handed Luke's lightsaber over to him who looked down at it.

"You're astromech droid planned all of that?" said Ackbar.

"Yeah, he does stuff like that" said Luke.

"Uh…" said Ackbar.

"Alright everyone, take their weapons" said Luke. He ignited his lightsaber. "We're taking the bridge"

 _A few minutes later_

Loucli looked out at the space battle outside with a smirk forming on his face.

"Victory is within our very grasp" said Loucli. At that moment, Luke and the others entered.

"Rebels!" exclaimed an Imperial officer.

"How did you…never mind, shoot them!" said Loucli. The stormtroopers aboard the bridge turned their blasters towards them and a full out fire fight formed within a matter of seconds. Luke and PROXY (in his Obi-Wan guise) swept forward and bean slashing up stormtroopers and dark troopers in their path.

"Jedi!" exclaimed a stormtrooper before Luke slashed him down.

"He's a Jedi!" exclaimed Loucli. Within a matter of minutes, all of the stormtroopers and dark troopers were dead. "Impossible!"

"I wouldn't think so" said Luke whilst he pointed his lightsaber at Loucli.

"We have you surrounded, Loucli" said Ackbar. Loucli looked over at a blaster which lay on the strategy table.

"Do you really think you'd be fast enough to picked that up?" said Luke.

"And do you think you could shoot all of us?" said Ackbar. Suddenly, Loucli pressed a button which caused the lights to turn red and flash.

"Star destroyer self-destruct: Initiated" said the computer voice "Star destroyer will self-destruct in ten minutes"

"Self-destruct?" said an Imperial officer.

"There's no self-destruct!" said another Imperial officer.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Ackbar "No capital ships have a destruct mechanism"

"True, they don't" said Loucli "But I had one integrated into this star destroyer for just this sort of situation. It took years; but when it was finished, I had a fully working self-destruct mechanism" At that moment, the Imperial officers took off and ran out of the bridge. "And don't bother heading for the escape pods, they'll probably be all gone by the time you get there"

"Then you'll die too" said Ackbar.

"If I let you slip through my fingers, Lord Vader would probably have me killed; but this way, at least I will have taken out the Alliance military commander" said Loucli "Without you, the Alliance will not stand a chance; because even though I'll be gone, the blockade will still be well armed…well-armed enough to survive the next few futile attacks without a proper intended leader!"

"You're crazy!" said Luke.

"Doesn't matter" said Loucli "My legacy…" He grabbed the blaster from the strategy table. "…is assured!" He lifted the blaster up to his chin and shot himself in the head.

"PROXY, can you communicate with R2?" asked Luke.

"I can" replied PROXY.

"Tell him to bring the ship around into the hanger" said Luke "And make it quick" They ran off down the corridor until they reached the hanger bay; where R2 pulled the _Rogue Shadow_ up, carefully flew into the hanger, turned around, and lowered down the ramp.

"What is he doing?" asked a rebel trooper "He's making sure that we escape easier. Hop on quick!" As they rushed over to the _Rogue Shadow_ , each of the rebel troopers hoped on the ramp and were followed by Ackbar. But as Luke was about to leap up to it, a blaster bolt shot out and hit him in the back leg.

"AHHH!" exclaimed Luke as he fell to his knees.

"Skywalker!" exclaimed Ackbar "R2, stay close to the floor" A group of stormtroopers emerged from the corridor.

"Shoot him!" said a stormtrooper captain "If we've been left here to die, we'll take these rebels down with us!"

"I don't think so!" said Ackbar "Shoot them!" The rebel troopers gathered around the ramp and began shooting at the stormtroopers who shot back. As Luke slowly regained his footing, he ignited his lightsaber and threw it at the stormtroopers, cutting them all down. "Skywalker, get up here now!" Luke tried to pull himself back up but was hindered by his injured le.

"My leg!" said Luke "It got hit pretty bad pretty bad…I'm not sure if I can reach you" Ackbar extended his arms out.

"Here, try to reach by hands and I'll pull you up" said Ackbar.

"I'm not sure if—" said Luke.

"If you keep being too worried about being uncertain, we'll all die" said Ackbar "Now jump!" Luke pulled himself back onto his feet and leapt up to Ackbar who caught him by the wrists and pulled him up onto the ramp before it closed over.

"R2, get us out of here now!" said Luke. From the cockpit, they could hear a distinctive beeping followed by the ship flying straight out of the hanger. Ackbar helped bring Luke to the cockpit where they got a good view of the star destroyer blowing up.

"That was close" said Ackbar.

"Tell me about it" said Luke.

"Oh, it's not over yet!" said Ackbar "Incoming!" Luke turned around to see over a dozen TIE fighters flying towards them and shooting rapidly.

"We just stepped out of one battle and wound up in another" said Luke.

"That happens in war a lot" said Ackbar. R2 beeped in response. "What did he say?"

"He said "tell me about it"" replied Luke. He looked down at the console around him. "There's got to be something around here for…wait, I think I found it" He fired random shots at the TIE fighters with the ship's laser cannons. "Okay, I think I got the hang of this" He continued firing shots at the TIE fighters but they were soon overwhelmed.

"I've got a bad feeling about this!" said Ackbar.

"No kidding" said Luke "It's like no matter how many I shoot down they just keep coming and coming" Suddenly, countless TIE fighters started getting shot down as Wedge and the other pilots swooped in and shot them away allowing the _Rogue Shadow_ to break through. "Thanks, Wedge; I really owe you one"

"Anytime, Luke" said Wedge out of the ship's comlink "Now get out of that blockade now, we've got a battle to win here" Luke flew over to the rebel fleet.

"C'mon, the fleet needs it's admiral" said Luke.

 _Later_

Luke stood outside the _Rogue Shadow_ and watched as GR-75 medium transports landed and unloaded Armored Assault Tanks, AT-APs, AT-RTs, T2-B repulsor tanks, and other rebel vehicles.

"Quite a view, isn't it?" said Ackbar as he walked over to Luke "I'll miss it when I return to the fleet"

"We've still got a long way to go yet" said Luke "I read a report and it seems that the Imperials seemed to have forged quite a foothold"

"One that we will work hard to pull out nonetheless" said Ackbar.

"But we'll do that and we'll free this planet" said Luke.

"You're not a conventional Jedi, are you?" said Ackbar.

"I don't think I'd call myself a proper Jedi just yet" said Luke.

"Whoever, I'm glad to have you in the Alliance" said Ackbar "We could always use more good men like you"

"Glad to be here" said Luke. The two shook hands.

"I look forward to working with you again soon" said Ackbar.

"Definitely" said Luke. As Ackbar walked off, Juno walked up to him. "Ah, Juno; as you can see, I got your ship back intact just like I promised; thanks for letting me borrow it. So; now that all of this is over, I guess I should give you it back" Juno looked over the _Rogue Shadow_.

"You know what, you can keep it" said Juno.

"Wait, what?" asked Luke.

"You can keep it" replied Juno.

"Are you serious?" asked Luke.

"How many times are you going to ask this question?" said Juno "I said that you can keep it"

"But I can't" said Luke "It's your ship"

"No, it was someone else's" said Juno "Now it's yours. I was always just the pilot"

"But what could I use it for?" asked Luke.

"Find a use for it" replied Juno "But try to take care of it" She turned to leave. "By the way, the droid comes with the ship"

"Well, I'll have to find a use for him as well" said Luke.

 **Author's note** : Well, here's the latest chapter. If it seemed a little rushed it might have been because I'm still a bit rusty and need time to get back into it but I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. And don't worry; from now on, every chapter will be in chronological order. Anyways, don't forget to leave a review because things have been a little rough in my life recently and I could really use something to drive me forward. Anyways, until next time.


	13. Breakout

**Breakout**

 _After a report detailing a possible lead on the whereabouts of Darth Vader were discovered by operative Jan Ors, Jedi Luke Skywalker and Admiral Ackbar have been sent to the Gand system in an attempt to find him and capture him!_

 _But tensions run high from the underworld when word of disappearing bounty hunters attracts even the attention of the Hutts and other crimelords. Meanwhile, Princess Leia Organa has been sent to a political meeting on the planet of Duro as the planet reconsiders its place in the Rebellion…_

 _Corellia_

Leia and C-2PO sat inside of a T-6 shuttle and were waiting patiently.

"Oh, Princess Leia; we should get along quick" said C-3PO "Turning up late for the meeting is not a good sign"

"I would love to, 3PO" said Leia "Unfortunately we have to wait for our escort"

"Escort?" said C-3PO "What need do you have for an escort?"

"Not my idea" said Leia "Chief-of-State Sarke thinks it's best if I came prepared for an emergency of some sort"

"Did you mention that—" asked C-3PO.

"Yes, I brought it up" replied Leia "And I was very clear about it. He still thought an escort was a good idea"

"So who did he send?" asked C-3PO.

"Oh, just some honor guard or government official" replied Leia "You know, just the basics"

"How you feeling, Princess?" said Han as he entered the shuttle.

"Han, we're waiting for someone to board and it would be best if we didn't have to wait with you around" said Leia.

"Well; problem is, he's already here" smirked Han.

"What….oh…" said Leia as she figured out who was her escort.

"Wait, what's wrong?" asked C-3PO.

"Oh, she's just upset that she has to put up with again" replied Han "It puts her in a real bad mood"

"Only because you just have to be a real pain" said Leia whilst crossing her arms in frustration "Aren't you supposed to be on some sort of smuggling mission with that walking carpet and warrior girl?"

"Eh, the chief-of-state asked for me personally" replied Han.

"And why would he do that?" asked Leia.

"He said that since I had experience protecting you in the past, I was the best possible choice" replied Han "And who am I to turn down an honest job like that"

"Geez…" said Leia whilst turning herself away.

"C'mon, Princess; lighten up" said Han "Oh, and scooch over"

"Excuse me?" asked Leia.

"Well, how can I pilot if someone else is in the seat?" said Han.

"Uh, maybe I could actually pilot since I actually know how to?" said Leia.

"Yes, but I'm the escort and it would be more gentlemanly to do the piloting for you" said Han.

"Gentlemanly?" said Leia "That's a first"

"Oh please, Princess Leia; the more you argue, the more time we waste" said C-3PO "We should have been at Duro ages ago" Leia sighed.

"Fine!" said Leia as she got herself up "But only because we're on a schedule here"

"Thank you very much" said Han as he sat himself down.

"And if anyone needs me, I'll be in the back" said Leia. She turned and left the cockpit.

"She doesn't seem very happy with you" said C-3PO "In fact, it's more so than usual"

"Oh, she's just upset because she's too afraid to admit that she digs me" said Han "It's harder for her now because I'm taken"

"I have no idea on what you just said" said C-3PO.

"Eh, forget it" said Han. He lifted the shuttle off and they flew off into the sky.

 _Meanwhile on Coruscant_

Zuckuss and 4-LOM stepped into a large and empty room and looked around.

"There's the target" said Zuckuss as he pointed over to an RA-7 protocol droid that was tied to a chair at the end of the room "Let's take him!" Suddenly, a rebel trooper appeared out of nowhere.

"Stay sharp!" said 4-LOM. He pulled out his rifle and shot the rebel trooper, causing him to disappear into green mist. "Remember, we fail this and we'll lose more than just the job"

"You don't need to remind me" said Zuckuss as he pulled out his rifle to shoot another rebel trooper with his rifle "That damn Nightsister and the bodies of failed bounty hunters they showed us was incentive enough!" The two of them rushed through the room, shooting down every rebel trooper and rebel honor guard in their path as they ran over to the protocol droid.

"I'll cover you while you untie the target" said 4-LOM as he aimed his rifle at the approaching rebels and started shooting. Zuckuss stepped behind the chair and untied the protocol droid, grabbed it, and held his rifle to its head.

"Stop!" said Zuckuss. The rebels stopped in their tracks. "One more step and I'll release the trigger" As he and 4-LOM slowly started to move off, the rebels all vanished into green mist.

"Congratulations" said Carth'la as she and Cad Bane walked up to them "You have passed the test. You may release the droid now" Zuckuss let go of the protocol droid and pushed it away. "I was hoping to ask you for another request"

"And what would that be?" asked Zuckuss.

"We need have need for a ship" said Carth'la "Yours would suffice. Would you allow us to use it?"

"Can we trust this witch?" asked 4-LOM quietly.

"No" replied Zuckuss quietly "But it's not like we have any other choice in the matter. Don't underestimate her power" He turned back to Carth'la. "Our ship is at your aid"

"Excellent, you may join the others" said Carth'la "We will tell you the information you need to know shortly" Zuckuss and 4-LOM left. "The Force is strong with him. I can feel it"

"What are you talking about?" said Bane.

"Zuckuss" said Carth'la "His people, the Gand, are known for having force-sensitives, like Jedi and Sith. But they believe their power stems from another source and use it in religious traditions as bounty hunters, calling themselves the findsmen"

"You going to lecture me about stuff I already know?" said Bane.

"No" replied Carth'la "Today is the day that we make our move. We head off to Corellia to free Cadfurew the Hutt"

 _Meanwhile_

K'Kruhk and Chellaa Secura sat in the Jedi memorial gardens and meditated.

"Breath deep…" said K'Kruhk "Extend your view…there are many things the Force can do…many things that you can do with it…but no matter what happens, beware the dark side for it will consume you and you might never escape" At that moment, Chellaa opened her eyes.

"Master, why must we fear the dark?" asked Chelaa.

"Why do you ask?" asked K'Kruhk whilst opening his eyes.

"Well, you never really told me in depth before I finished my training" replied Chelaa "We touched on it but we were more focused on my force powers and lightsaber training. If we are trained Jedi who align ourselves to the light, why should we fear the dark side?"

"Because it is always an ever-present threat" replied K'Kruhk "No matter what you do, no matter how much you align yourself with the light side, it will always be there waiting for you. Jedi trained in the light can fall, take Maris Brood for example; Master Shaak Ti trained her in the light but she fell nonetheless "

"But she came back" said Chelaa.

"At great cost, yes" said K'Kruhk "But it wasn't by herself, and she is still haunted by her actions since. And I'm I've told you about Count Dooku" Chelaa nodded. "Before he joined the Sith, he was considered one of the greatest Jedi Masters in our age. You must always be cautious, Chelaa; because even if you come back from the dark path, you will never be the same"

"I understand, master" said Chelaa whilst bowing her head.

 _Meanwhile_

The _Mist Hunter_ came out of hyperspace above Corellia and slowly descended down towards it.

"Here we are" said Zuckuss "Corellia" Bane and Carth'la stepped into the cockpit.

"How close can you get to the prison complex without being noticed?" asked Bane.

"Very close" replied Zuckuss "Just give me a few hours to check the place out"

"Make it quick" said Carth'la.

"If we're not careful, we could run the risk of being discovered and that would ruin everything" said Zuckuss "Just give us time"

"I will give you time, but don't waste it" said Carth'la.

"Like I would" said Zuckuss.

"Why drag us out here?" asked Bane as he and Carth'la left the cockpit "Why not use those powers of yours to get the Hutt out?"

"There are still Jedi present on the planet" replied Carth'la "If I use my powers they could sense it and that would only attract unwanted attention" Bane merely rolled his eyes. "So that's why we're sticking to the plan we have"

"If you gave me an extra week, I would have come up with a better strategy than this" said Bane "I once successfully held the Galactic Senate hostage because the Hutts gave me the time and resources I needed"

"They prefer to get the main job, regardless of the consequences" said Carth'la "The Master however prefers to micromanage"

"Micromanage?" said Bane "If anything this is sloppy. I've seen stormtroopers come up with more efficient strategies. Besides; if he seriously wants to stick to a particular plan, why take me in?"

"Because a plan is only half of the picture" replied Carth'la "A plan can be absolutely flawless and full proof and yet could still be hindered by one simple factor. If the execution is not precise, everything can be made undone; which is why he asked for you personally, he knows of your skill and cunning can get us through it"

"Then we'll skip to the next question, why should I go along with this?" said Bane.

"Because the Master promises great rewards" replied Carth'la "And you would be a fool to ignore such an opportunity"

"So what does this "Master" want with Cadfurew anyway?" asked Bane.

"The Hutt has influential ties that intrigue the Master" replied Carth'la "Jabba may have disowned him, but he still has great allies at his fingertips that are growing in number and corruption each day"

"And you're just convinced that I'll go along with everything this "Master" character says" said Bane.

"You had better" said Carth'la "After all; you'll take on any job…for the right price" She turned and left.

"Todo" said Bane.

"Yes, what is it?" asked Todo as he flew up to Bane.

"Bring it with us" said Bane.

"Are you sure?" asked Todo "What if she notices it and—" Bane gave him a stern look. "I will fetch it immediately" He turned and flew off.

 _Meanwhile_

"Sir, we're receiving a transmission from the planet Duro" said the Bothan aide.

"Bring it up" said Sarke. A hologram of Jenssar SoBilles appeared in front of them. "Councilor SoBilles, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Where is Princess Organa?" asked SoBilles.

"Pardon?" asked Sarke.

"Princess Organa should have arrived long ago but she hasn't, and we've received no contact from her" replied SoBilles.

"This can't be right" said Kota.

"It is so" said SoBilles

"I sent her off some time ago; and since we're not far away, it wouldn't take long" said Sarke.

"I know, which is what concerns me" said SoBilles. Sarke thought for a moment.

"Give us a moment" said Sarke "We'll try to contact her to see if she responds"

"And what then?" asked SoBilles.

"That depends on the outcome" replied Sarke "We'll contact you later" SoBilles nodded his head. Sarke stood himself up. "Try to contact, Princess Organa; inform me of what the outcome is" He turned to leave.

"Then what are you going to do?" asked Kota.

"I need to think" replied Sarke "I'll be with you shortly" As he left, Kota narrowed his eyes at him.

 _Meanwhile_

"C'mon, c'mon!" said Han as he looked at the navicomputer which wasn't displaying anything.

"Whatever is the matter, Captain Solo?" asked C-3PO.

"We got problems, 3PO" said Han.

"What problems?" asked Leia as she entered "Has this got something to do with the delay?"

"Delay?" said Han.

"We should have been at Duro about an hour ago" said Leia "It's not that far from Corellia, we should still be in the Core Worlds"

"Well; I wouldn't know because the damn navicomputer won't show anything!" said Han.

"Wait, there's something wrong with the navicomputer?" asked Leia.

"It's not responding" said Han "I have no idea where we are"

"Then what are you waiting for?" asked Leia "Pull out now"

"You say that, but it's not that simple" said Han "We have no idea on where we are right now or where we're going so we might just find ourselves on course for a gas giant or a sun"

"Consider the alternative then" said Leia "If we stay in hyperspace like this, we'll eventually run out of fuel and then we'll have no choice but to go out; and by that time, we'll be much, much further away from the Core Worlds" Han sighed.

"You raise a valid point which I will comply with" said Han. As he pulled the shuttle out of hyperspace, they found themselves right in front of a large cyan gas giant with dark blue stripes around it.

"Oh my!" exclaimed C-3PO.

"Yeah, told you" said Han.

"Then what are you waiting for?" asked Leia "Steer away from the planet" Han tried to steer away but found that he couldn't. "I said steer away!"

"I'm trying to but…but we're locked on course" said Han.

"What?!" said Leia.

"Some kind of tractor beam or something is pulling us in" said Han.

"Oh no!" said Leia. At that moment, the shuttle began turning.

"Wait a second, I don't think we'll be crashing into the planet" said Han before pointing out "We're on a direct course for that moon"

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this!" said C-3PO.

"Really, you have to bring that up now?" said Han. The shuttle got closer and closer towards the moon and slowly began to descend into the atmosphere. "Brace yourselves!"

"No we don't" said Leia.

"What?" said Han.

"Get out of the seat" said Leia.

"What?" said Han.

"I said get out!" said Leia.

"Alright, alright!" said Han whilst getting himself up. Leia sat down in the pilot's seat.

"And sit down" said Leia.

"Okay" said Han as he sat down in a chair. At that moment, Leia pulled lever and the three of them shot out of the shuttle in survival capsules where they landed onto the moon's surface while their shuttle crashed into the ground. Han got out of his capsule. "Great job, Leia; y'know, you could have just explained it to me verbally"

"I had no time" said Leia as she got out of her capsule "It was just too risky"

"Fair enough" said Han "But we'd better go over to the remains of the shuttle to see if there's anything we can salvage"

"Hello?" said C-3PO from inside his capsule "Princess Leia? Captain Solo? Can anyone hear me?! I'm trapped inside this…this thing? Can someone get me out of here?"

"Right after we get 3PO out" said Han.

 _Meanwhile_

Bane kneeled over the edge of the Rebel Alliance prison and watched as security guards patrolled around in front of it.

"Observing much?" said Carth'la.

"Only the current guards' positions" said Bane "Nothing's changed"

"That's good" said Carth'la "It at least means we don't have to change the plan" Bane looked over at Zuckuss, 4-LOM, and Boceta Mindar who stood on the roof with them.

"Alright, you know the plan; wait for our signal" said Bane "Now let's get into position"

 _Meanwhile_

"How is the progress going?" asked Sarke as he entered his office.

"Still no word from Princess Leia" replied the Bothan aide "We've tried every channel but there's been no response"

"What of her shuttle's tracking beacon?" asked Sarke.

"No response, I'm afraid" said the Bothan aide "We're not picking up anything"

"We should send a search party out" said Kota "She could have been captured or—"

"That would be futile" said Sarke "We have no idea where they are"

"Then what do you propose we do then?" asked Kota.

"Allow me to handle this" replied Sarke "You are dismissed, Master Kota" Kota narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Very well" said Kota. He turned and left.

 _Meanwhile_

Han pulled a cache of weapons out from the wreckage of the shuttle and place in on a pile of other things he had managed to salvage.

"There, that's the last of it" said Han "Well, the last of what could be saved anyway"

"Any idea what moon we're on?" asked Leia as she and C-3PO sat by a makeshift fire.

"Never seen it before in my life, and I've seen a lot of the galaxy in my time" replied Han "As for the navicomputer; it's not just unresponsive now, it's busted big time"

"No way to repair it?" asked Leia.

"It's a black charred mess" replied Han "Even if we had a team of Verpine with us, they'd probably just give up"

"Have you tried communicating with the Alliance?" asked Leia.

"Tried it, didn't work" replied Han "There's some sort of jamming signal preventing signals from working"

"Damn; then I guess that means the beacon's out as well" said Leia.

"If it even survived the crash at all" said Han.

"So that means that the Alliance can't find us and we can't call for help" said C-3PO.

"Yeah, that is basically what we just said" said Han.

"Then what are we going to do?" asked Leia. Han looked off into the distance.

"I'll do some scouting" replied Han "I'll see if there's something worth my time. Stay with the ship and stay on guard; we don't know yet whether the tractor beam was self-automated or someone was controlling it. And if it's the latter…well, I think you know what" He turned and walked off into the distance, unaware that he they were in the middle of a giant labyrinth.

 _Meanwhile_

Bane and Carth'la snuck through the air ducts of the prison.

"We're getting closer to the point" said Bane quietly.

"Good" said Carth'la quietly. They reached an air vent overlooking a corridor where many guards patrolled through.

"Here we are" said Bane quietly "Time to get the next phase in action. Zuckuss, begin the assault"

 _Meanwhile_

As the rebel security guards stood guard at the front of the prison, a bright light reflected off a surface and at one of the security guards who pulled his visor down.

"What's wrong?" asked the security guard next to him.

"There's some sort of light shining off of something" replied the other security guard "I can't—" Suddenly, he was shot by a bowcaster bolt. The second security guard looked up at where the hit had come from and saw Embo aiming his bowcaster at them shortly before firing at another security guard.

"Watch out!" exclaimed the second security guard "We're under att—" He was suddenly hit by a sniper shot at the side of his head which was shot by Fexer Kal.

"Got 'em!" said Fexer Kal to himself. He reloaded and started firing more shots.

"Take cover!" said a security guard. At that moment, Zuckuss, 4-LOM, and Mindar landed in front of them with several autoturrets surrounding them.

"You just got the wrong shift" said Zuckuss. He and the others began firing at the security guards who desperately reached for their blasters to fight back.

"This is prison security; we're under attack by bounty hunters!" said a security guard into his comlink "Requesting immediate backup n—" Mindar grabbed him by the head and continuously blasted at him in the chest.

 _Meanwhile_

Kota sat at a table with K'Kruhk and Chelaa in the memorial garden.

"And then he asked me to leave" said Kota "He didn't even give me any instructions"

"As I mentioned before, there's just something about him I don't trust" said K'Kruhk "I feel like he's up to something and he's using his position of power to conceal it"

"But that be treason" said Chelaa.

"Exactly" said Kota.

"Should we start an investigation?" asked K'Kruhk.

"Not officially" replied Kota "If we do something that could draw attention, it could put us under suspicion. For now, we'll keep things quiet"

"Very well" said K'Kruhk "We'll discuss things with Master Sitra later to come to a decision" At that moment, Kota heard his comlink buzzing.

"Just a sec" said Kota before answering his comlink "This is Kota, what is it?"

"General Kota, we've received a call from the prison complex" replied a rebel trooper through the comlink "They're under attack by bounty hunters. They need assistance"

"The prisoners!" said Kota and K'Kruhk simultaneously. They got up and rushed off with Chelaa following them.

 _Meanwhile_

Bane watched the guards' patrols carefully.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Carth'la quietly.

"Just a second" replied Bane quietly.

"Attention, all personnel; attention" said the intercom voice "The prison is under attack by intruders. All guards on patrol must return to the mess hall for reassigned positions immediately" The guards turned and rushed off down the corridor.

"See?" said Bane quietly. He pulled the vent off and quietly dropped down into the corridor with Carth'la following. "The control room is nearby"

"Halt!" said a voice. Bane turned around to see two guards standing there with their blasters out and pointing at him. "Put your hands up, intruder!" Bane didn't comply. "I said put your hands up!" Bane looked down at his blasters.

"Don't even think about it!" said the other guard "If you make any sudden moves, I'll drop you like—" Bane quickly ducked down causing the two guards to shoot wildly at where he was. Bane then pulled his blasters from the holsters and shot the guards down by the knees. He then walked over to them and aimed his blasters at them.

"No…please!" begged the first guard shortly before Bane shot them in the face.

"And this is why the Master is interested in you" said Carth'la "You know how to get things done. And you know how to be efficient about it"

"They might have radioed someone else" said Bane as he looked down at the two dead guards "Which means we have to get out of here now" He turned and walked off down the hall with Carth'la following him.

 _Meanwhile_

Kota, K'Kruhk, and Chelaa watched from an LAAT gunship as the battle outside the prison played out.

"We have to help them" said Chelaa. She stepped forward but was stopped by Kota.

"Easy" said Kota.

"But—" said Chelaa.

"We will help them, but we have to tread carefully" said Kota "This is but a diversion. I can sense a dark power behind this attack"

"Do you think the Empire is behind this?" asked K'Kruhk.

"No" replied Kota "Something's not right; we have to plan this out carefully"

 _Meanwhile_

A pair of guards stood watch at the security room and watched the prisoners carefully.

"We'd better keep watch over the prisoners on our side" said one of the guards "If we're not careful, the intruders could—" Suddenly; Bane and Carth'la entered the room and shot a dart into the back of his head.

"What the—" exclaimed the other guard before Bane shot out his fibercord whip and reeled him in to him. He then grabbed him around by the head, covering his nose and his mouth until he suffocated. He then walked over to the console and examined it.

"How long will it take you to find the right cell?" asked Carth'la.

"Whatever time I need, that's what" replied Bane.

 _Meanwhile_

Both the bounty hunters and the guards took cover wherever they could as they continued the firefight.

"How long is Bane going to take?!" said Mindar "These guards are going to call for backup soon"

"Just relax" said Zuckuss "We're here to delay the guards, not defeat all of them" 4-LOM got out a thermal detonator and threw it out at the guards, blowing them away. Suddenly, Embo slid down on his hat and landed in front of the guards.

"Hands up, bounty hunter!" said one of the guards "Do it before it's too—" Embo grabbed his hat and flung it at several guards, knocking them over all at once. The other guards started shooting at him but he dodged the shots before rushing over back to his hat. He picked it up and bashed it over one of the guards' heads and used it as a shield before firing back with his bowcaster.

"Finally, we get some more big guns" said Mindar. At that moment, the LAAT gunship swooped in with K'Kruhk and Chelaa igniting their lightsabers and leaping off.

"And backup has arrived for them as well" said Zuckuss. He pulled out a thermal detonator and threw it at them.

"Incoming!" said K'Kruhk. He force-pushed the thermal detonator away which Zuckuss shot in response.

"Looks like things are about to get interesting" said Chelaa.

 _Meanwhile_

"Found it" said Bane "Cadfurew the Hutt's cell" Carth'la leaned forward and looked at the Hutt in his cell.

"Good" said Carth'la "You have played your part well, bounty hunter" Bane looked over at Todo who was peering out from the door carrying a large gun. "The Master will be very pleased"

"Sure he will" said Bane. He nodded at Todo who pulled up the gun and shot it at Carth'la, releasing a large energy net which stuck her against the wall.

"What is the meaning of this, Bane?" said Carth'la "Release me immediately!"

"You really took me for a fool, didn't you?" said Bane "I never trusted you from the moment you arrived; that's why I played you"

"You snake!" said Carth'la.

"It's not like you weren't going to turn on me anyway" said Bane.

"You are throwing away a fortune" said Carth'la "You will not receive anything the Master has promised you"

"I'll be fine with whatever the Hutt pays me" said Bane "Like you said, he still has influences out there. And don't bother trying to get yourself out of there; I've been around force-users long enough to know that to use it is to require a lot of concentration. Fortunately, the stinging from this energy prevents such concentration from happening"

"I will destroy you for this, Bane!" snarled Carth'la.

"You can keep saying that to yourself" said Bane "In the meantime, try to relax; I hear that there's a high price for exotic species on the black market, especially female ones" He turned back to the control panel. "Now; if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make myself some money"

"I might have something to say about that" said a voice. Bane turned back around to see Kota standing there with his lightsaber pointing at him.

"Todo!" snapped Bane. Todo aimed his gun at Kota who force-pulled it up, causing the net to stick to the roof.

"Oh dear!" exclaimed Todo shortly before Kota pushed him away into the corridor. Kota then turned his lightsaber back to Bane.

"Give up, bounty hunter" said Kota "It's over"

"Really?" said Bane "'Cause the way I see it, it's only just begun" He turned his blaster to the control panel and shot it. This caused the security for the cells on this side of the building to go off.

 _Meanwhile_

As the shielding to Veers's cell turned off, he smirked, got himself up, and walked out of it. He looked on as countless inmates got out and attacked the guards.

"It's about time!" smirked Veers. He turned and left.

 _Meanwhile_

"What have you done?!" said Kota.

"Unleashed hell, what does it look like?" said Bane.

"Well, I'm not letting you escape" said Kota as he raised his lightsaber to an attack position.

"You say that as if it's an option" said Bane. He activated his rocket boots and blasted forward; but as he shot forward, he grabbed Kota by the wrist and electrocuted him until he fell unconscious. He then fired off down the hallway. "Todo, come!"

"Coming!" said Todo whilst pulling himself up and flying after Bane.

 _Meanwhile_

Mindar blasted away several rebel troopers with his weapons.

"Pathetic rebels!" said Mindar "You were dead the moment you set foot on this platform!"

"That big one is causing the most trouble" said Chelaa.

"I agree" said K'Kruhk "If we don't stop him soon, he'll force us to retreat"

"Wait, I think I have a plan" said Chelaa as she looked at Mindar carefully and at a pillar he was near "On the count of three, we'll push him into the pillar together. Then we'll dash up to him and take him down"

"Alright" said K'Kruhk "But be careful; just because an enemy is down does not eliminate him as a threat"

"Got it" said Chelaa "Three…two…one, go!" She and K'Kruhk and force-pushed Mindar forward and sent him into the pillar behind him.

"Now!" said K'Kruhk. The two of them rushed up to him and Chelaa leapt on top of him, ignited her lightsaber, and cut around the top of his mech suit. K'Kruhk then force-pulled the top off, revealing Mindar to be a male Zabrak underneath.

"What are you doing?!" snarled Mindar "Get off—" Chelaa knocked him out.

"Just like a crustacean, underneath his hard shell lies the soft insides" said Chelaa.

"Now you're starting to teach me, even after years with Yoda and Ki-Adi-Mundi" said K'Kruhk.

"General, the prisoners on the left side of the left half of the prison have been released" said a security guard through his comlink "We need immediate assistance with containment"

"On it" said K'Kruhk into his comlink "We need to move in and contain the prisoners; we can't let any of them escape, Imperial or otherwise"

 _Meanwhile_

"Watch out!" exclaimed a guard as Fescrek knocked him out of the way.

"Stop or we'll shoot!" said another guard as he and a few other guards pointed their blasters at him.

"I don't think so!" smirked Fescrek. He charged at the guards and impaled them with his claws and spikes. "Breakout!"

 _Meanwhile_

"Stay on guard, men" said a guard as he and a group of guards snuck off down the corridors "The prisoners could be anywhere" Unbeknownst to them, Intho (a male Defel prisoner) snuck behind them before vanishing into the shadows. "If we're not careful, they could take us by surprise—" Suddenly, Intho grabbed the blaster out of his hands and shot.

"What the—" exclaimed another guard shortly before getting shot.

"Shoot it!" said a guard. The remaining guards opened fire to where the blaster appeared to be floating but Intho dodged the shots and shot all of them. He then reappeared, looked over the dead guards, and chuckled.

"Payback time!" smirked Intho. He disappeared into the shadows again.

 _Meanwhile_

"Finally!" said Cadfurew as he slithered his way out of the cell and through the corridor. At that moment, Bane flew down and landed in front of him.

"Cadfurew the Hutt, I've come to lead you out" said Bane "For a price of course"

"Very well" said Cadfurew "Lead me out. I have contacts on Corellia that can get me off this planet in no time"

"That works for me" said Bane "Now let's go!"

 _Meanwhile_

Mas Amedda peered off down the corridor and started sneaking down it.

"Halt!" said a rebel trooper as he and another rebel trooper rushed up to him and pointed their blasters at him. He put his hands behind his head and turned around. "You're coming with us" Suddenly, Naya Kariya walked up behind them and knocked them both out.

"Finally some weapons!" said Naya as she picked up the blasters.

"Thank you" said Amedda.

"I wasn't doing it for you, Blue Boy" said Naya "I needed some weapons to help me get out of here" At that moment, Fescrek walked up to them. "Any luck?"

"No sight of the exit anywhere" replied Fescrek "And even if we did find one, we might just walk out into the guards' hands"

"Rats!" said Naya.

"If you'll listen to me for a moment, I have a proposal" said Amedda "I got a good view of the shipping port around the prison when I got brought in and I remember it very well"

"You do know who you're talking to, right?" said Naya "We're bounty hunters; what's to stop us from beating the heck out of you and getting the directions ourselves?"

"It would be very inefficient" said Amedda "You see, I am a member of the Imperial Ruling Council; I have close ties to the Emperor. If you escort me to where I direct you too, I will make sure that you are handsomely rewarded; and I will forget about the insults you just gave me" Naya thought for a second.

"Alright" said Naya "But remember to stay close to us, you don't want any guards following us"

 _Meanwhile_

Veers snuck through the corridor and past a cell containing Lystra Namacok.

"Eh; Veers, what are you doing?" asked Namacok "Let me out!" Veers stepped back and looked at his cell.

"Hmm, it appears that security only went off on my side" said Veers as he examined the cell.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Namacok "Let me out!"

"Well…no" said Veers "It is protected by a code and would only be a waste of my time. Besides, I don't imagine any Imperial officer who participated in the battle of Mygeeto would give you any sympathy"

"Wait, you're leaving me in here?" said Namacok.

"Get use to the environment, you'll be seeing it for a long time" said Veers "Goodbye" He turned and left.

"Wait, don't leave me!" said Namacok "Don't leave me!"

 _Meanwhile_

Amedda, Naya, and Fescrek stepped out onto a platform where a group of guards were gathered around a YZ-775 medium transport that was used for prisoner transport.

"Hey, you!" snapped one of the guards as they raised their weapons up at them. Naya and Fescrek aimed their blasters at them and shot them down.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a ship" said Naya. The three of them climbed aboard the transport and took off. "Where to?"

"Coruscant" replied Amedda "The Alliance won't follow us there" The ship flew off into space.

 _Meanwhile_

"Master Kota?" said a voice. As Kota regained consciousness and opened his white eyes he felt the familiar presence of K'Kruhk and Chelaa.

"You two…wait, where's the bounty hunter?" asked Kota.

"Which one?" asked Chelaa.

"The Duros one" replied Kota.

"We haven't seen him" said K'Kruhk "He must have escaped along with almost all the prisoners on this side"

"He…He was in here" said Kota "I could sense him. He shot the controls and let the prisoners go" He looked over in the corner where the net that held Carth'la lay torn and deactivated. K'Kruhk walked over to it and examined it.

"Someone was held here but they got out" said K'Kruhk.

"It was a Nightsister, I could sense her" said Kota "She was helping the bounty hunter but he betrayed her"

"That would explain the dark presence you detected" said K'Kruhk "But if the Nightsisters had a part in this, I can't help but feel that there's something even bigger in the works.

 _Meanwhile_

Bane waited outside a stolen landspeeder and looked over at Cadfurew on the other side of the platform.

"How long is this pickup supposed to take?" said Bane "We're not just waiting around for the rebel forces to pick us off, y'know?" At that moment, a TZ-15 shuttle descended down and landed in front of them. "Finally!" The ramp descended down and various Hutt security droids walked down it. As Cadfurew slithered up the ramp, Bane walked up to follow him when the security droids turned their blasters towards him. "What the hell is supposed to be?!"

"Allow me to explain" said Cadfurew "I imagine that at this point you've figured out that I was your mysterious client who ordered you to kill Princess Leia; and I am unimpressed"

"Are you crazy?!" snapped Bane "I just got you out of there!"

"And I am grateful for that" said Cadfurew "However, not grateful enough. Kill him!" As the shuttle flew off, the security droids opened fire on Bane who pulled out his blasters and fire back.

"You can't trust anyone!" said Bane.

"Mr. Bane, there's too many of them for us to handle!" exclaimed Todo.

"Do you think I haven't noticed that?" said Bane. At that moment, the _Mist Hunter_ appeared behind them and started shooting down the security droids.

"Sir, the _Mist Hunter_!" said Todo.

"I see it" said Bane. As the ramp descended down, Bane activated his rocket boots and flew onto it with Todo following behind. As he got onboard, the ship flew off into the atmosphere. Bane walked over to the pilot room where Zuckuss and 4-LOM were at the controls. "So you two came back. Where are the others?"

"They were captured" replied 4-LOM "We only just got out of there"

"Turns out our shot with the Hutt is a dead end" said Bane "Guy tried to have me killed and left"

"So no payment?" said Zuckuss.

"No" said Bane "But no one crosses me and gets away with it" He pulled out a hologram projector. "Make the most of your freedom, Hutt; it's not going to last long" He brought up a hologram of Bib Fortuna.

"Die wanna wanga?" asked Bib Fortuna.

"Doesn't matter" replied Bane "But I've got news for Jabba the Hutt"

 _Meanwhile on Tatooine_

Within Jabba's main audience chamber, the Max Rebo band played wildly.

"Ab queck zenick fesi" sang Sy Snootles "Zong jup col im in na hiz jal, ooh. Wow! Wa toc peg qui dos gee pif, aah. Joc jarraz bas deg zorze zot. Jer wih tuster mo vey. Qui neb be og ezen on. Wok lapti nek seb not van. Goc jarraz bas deg zorze zot. Lapti nek, rat a ran wim joct co jappi qaff. Lapti nek, kiv ba ha top wep jex pi va bep. Lapti nek, rat a ran wim joct co jeppi quaff. Wow!" At that moment, Bib Fortuna entered.

"Master, a word" said Fortuna in Huttese.

"Huh?" said Jabba. Fortuna whispered something into his ear that caused a look of utter shock to befall on his face. This attracted the attention of everyone in the chamber, even Salacious Crumb took cover like the Hutt was about to blow. The shock on Jabba's face slowly turned to frustration and he let out a loud roar of anger that echoed throughout the entire palace.

 **Just a Crazy Man** : Thanks for the praise but I would appreciate it a little more if you added a bit more into your reviews.

 **Martin** : Don't worry; I plan to add the Galen Marek story before the end of this season.


	14. The Hunters and the Hunted

**Author's note** : Hello everyone; I'm just letting everyone know that I've been doing some revision to the chapters of my earlier fanfics as I felt there were some small things I wanted readjust. The changes themselves are more so cosmetic than to the main plot itself, so there's no need to go back and read it, but there are a few points that are worth noting:

Maral Hatana is now a green Mikkian (the same species as Tiplee and Tiplar) with green skin and is name Emerl Hatana, as I felt that there were already a lot of Twi'lek force-users already and I felt that the name Maral sounded too similar to Mara (i.e. Mara Jade).

General Krenin is now a cyborg Sarkan with teal skin and cybernetic legs, right forearm, and neck as I felt that a fully cybernetic body made him too much of a Grievous knockoff before. Plus, Sarkans could have more of a spotlight.

I've done and posted the revamped chapters for the prologue and have yet to revamp the season one chapters and have placed it as "under reconstruction". Anyways, I'm really sorry if this has caused any inconveniences; but I promise that this will be the only reconstruction I take to previous chapters. Believe me, I can't stand retconning.

 **Hunters and the Hunted**

 _A mass breakout! Bounty hunter Cad Bane has freed the prisoners of an Alliance prison, freeing Cadfurew the Hutt and major Imperial figures like General Veers and Mas Amedda! As the slimy Hutt disappears into the Outer Rim, the Rebel Alliance and the Hutt Clan holds its breath in fear of his next retaliation attempt!_

 _Meanwhile, on an unknown moon, Captain Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, and C-3PO have crash-landed inside an immense labyrinth with no way of getting out…_

 _An unknown moon_

Han walked cautiously through the walls of the labyrinth and examined them carefully.

"Found anything?" said a voice. Han pulled his blaster and turned around, only to find himself pointing it at Leia's face. "Not a very warm welcome"

"Try to be more careful" said Han as he put his blaster away "This place requires caution"

"No kidding" said Leia "Found anything?"

"Only that this place is old, real old" said Han.

"What isn't?" said Leia. She looked down at some footprints that headed their way in the mud. "Those yours?"

"No, those boots are bigger than mine" replied Han.

"Then it looks like we've got company" said Leia "I'm going to find out what it is" She walked off into the direction the footprints came from.

"Wait, Leia!" said Han as he followed after her "We don't know what it could…" They turned around the corner to find the crashed remains of _Slave I_. "…be"

"Looks like we're not the only ones stranded here" said Leia. Han walked over to it and examined it carefully.

"What is that?" asked Leia

"It's _Slave I_ , Boba Fett's ship" replied Han.

"Boba Fett?" said Leia "As in that bounty hunter that always causes you guys trouble?"

"No, the other one" replied Han sarcastically "How many Boba Fetts do you think there are in this galaxy?"

"Do you think he's around?" asked Leia.

"Doesn't looks like it; but then again, who can be sure with him?" replied Han "We should head back to the ship, at least there we'll have a homefield advantage"

"For what?" asked Leia.

"Let's just say that if he's stranded on this moon like us, he won't be compliant to help out" replied Han "Let's get out of here" As they turned to leave, Boba Fett watched them carefully from the shadows atop a wall with his helmet's targeting system down.

"Well, what do we have here?" said Fett to himself as he pulled his targeting system up "Solo…"

 _Meanwhile on Corellia_

Ahsoka walked into Sarke's office.

"Chief-of-State, I hope you don't mind me…coming in at this time" said Ahsoka "There's just something I have to go over with you. Do you mind if—"

"Not at all" replied Sarke "Come in, take a seat" Ahsoka walked up to his desk and took a seat. "So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"It's…It's about Borsk Fey'lya" replied Ahsoka "I'm not sure if he's the spy"

"And why do you say that?" asked Sarke.

"Well…it just doesn't seem right to me" replied Ahsoka.

"You say that and yet you saw him interrogate a civilian" said Sarke "Shouldn't that warrant as untrustworthy behavior? Besides; without proper hard evidence, why should we take the risk?"

"I know, I know" said Ahsoka "But still, I've read the reports; we haven't even given him a proper investigation yet, we've just interrogated him over and over and got nothing. No contacts, no names, nothing. And with Cadfurew out—"

"That was an isolated incident" said Sarke defensively.

"I know, but still" said Ahsoka "What if Fey'lya isn't Cadfurew's contact; what if it's someone else?"

"Then we'll find out eventually" replied Sarke "In the meantime, we'll stay on to whatever potential leads we might have"

"I understand" said Ahsoka.

"There's something else you want to ask me, isn't there?" said Sarke.

"There is" said Ahsoka "I've trying to ask people around me for some time but a good moment never came up. You know about my family?"

"Yes, Commander Skywalker told me about them" replied Sarke.

"Some time ago at the Battle of Ord Mantell, I met my brother and sister who my parents told me about" said Ahsoka "But shortly after the battle, I overheard the two of them saying something that…shocked me"

"And what was that?" asked Sarke.

"They…They said that they weren't actually my brother and sister" replied Ahsoka.

"And after that?" asked Sarke.

"I don't know; I just ran away before they could even notice me there" replied Ahsoka "I haven't talked to or approached them since. I just…I just wanted to forget about it, it upset me. What should I do?"

"Sometimes the bitterest truths are better than the sweetest lies" replied Sarke "Whatever reason they said it, you need to find out and come to terms with it rather than run away from it all of your life. Approach them again and ask them about it. Whatever it is, it may upset you; but in the long run, you'll be glad that you got it over and done with"

"Thank you" said Ahsoka. She stood up and walked out of the office. As she walked down the steps of the building, she walked over to Kota, Rachi Sitra, and K'Kruhk.

"So was there anything you found out?" asked Kota.

"I asked him about Fey'lya and how he hasn't been given a proper investigation but he dodged my questions saying that I needed proper evidence" replied Ahsoka "And then I started asking him about Cadfurew's escape and he got defensive, telling me that it was an isolated incident"

"Do you think he was behind it?" asked Rachi Sitra.

"I'm not sure about that, but he's certainly hiding something" replied Ahsoka "When I asked him about Cadfurew's contact, he said that he had everything under control"

"You've done well, Ahsoka" said Kota "You may leave now" Ahsoka turned and left. "It seems that we've only gotten a little further than we were before. We need to find out more from him"

"He obviously has himself covered, he was prepared for an incident like this" said Rachi Sitra "We should investigate him further before we even think of making an arrest"

"If we send more people in to question him, he could get suspicious" said Kota.

"Then we'll have to go straight to the source" said K'Kruhk "Gather troops together, we're going to his apartment to find whatever skeletons may lie in his closet"

 _Meanwhile_

Han, Leia, and C-3PO sat by a campfire outside the crashed shuttle.

"Well, we'd better all settle in" said Han "It looks like we'll be here for a while; and we'll have to buff up defenses in case Fett ever attacks us"

"Couldn't we do something with the remains of the ship?" asked C-3PO.

"Sure, if we had a team of engineers and proper equipment at our disposal" replied Han.

"Or perhaps just yourself in your own mind" said Leia.

"What did you say?" asked Han.

"Nothing" replied Leia.

"Well, obviously it was something; because if it was nothing, I wouldn't have heard anything" said Han.

"It was nothing!" snapped Leia.

"Don't drag yourself into a corner, your highness" said Han "If you have something to say, you may as well say it now"

"Fine!" snapped Leia "I'm merely bringing up something that everyone else is too modest to admit; your planet-sized ego makes you think you're perfect at everything"

"Sorry for not having a repair team with me, your magnificence" said Han sarcastically.

"This is not just about not repairing the ship, it's about a lot of things" said Leia "You strut around like some sort of peacock and you automatically think that it makes everyone else like you the same way you like yourself"

"Since when?" said Han.

"Since always" said Leia "You're just so obsessed about how great you are; whenever you do something, it's for yourself more so than others. You only went along with Luke and Obi-Wan because you needed money for something you got yourself into; and you even became a liability when Vader framed you and tried to use it as a way to ally the Empire with Jabba"

"Watch it!" snapped Han "Before you go any further, I'll let you know that I didn't need to come back; it could have been the simplest thing to just go off and go back to being a smuggler working for the Hutts. But I didn't, I came back. Heck; if it wasn't for me, Luke would be blown to space dust by now"

"Sure, you did come back and help us" said Leia "But how long are you going to stay this time before you leave again?"

"Is this seriously the best arguments you have?" asked Han "Because if they are, they're pretty lousy"

"Don't you ever show some respect?" said Leia.

"Well, I guess they forget to teach you that when you have to grow up in a world of slums" said Han. Leia raised her eyebrow. "Oh; so that surprises you, huh? Maybe when you grow up in a fancy marble palace or whatever, you get to learn the upper-class standards on culture, behavior, and what not, but I never had it easy like that. Growing up on the streets of Corellia you have to do whatever you can to survive; and when you're an adult, it still isn't any easier. The whole galaxy pushes against you as if its sole mission was to make you suffer; and if you want to make a life for yourself, you have to push back. But it never stops and never gets any easier. You may have grown up in a world of royalty, Princess; but for most of us in the galaxy, we had to grow up in a world of slums" There was a short silence.

"Oh my!" said C-3PO "That's rather—"

"Shut up, 3PO" said Han.

"Han…I never knew you felt that way" said Leia.

"It's not as if the galaxy gets any easier on you for sharing your problems" said Han "That's the first rule. I won't romanticize my life, but I'll just say that not all of us are given a good start in life. Even less of us are given a good ending"

"What a touching scene" said a voice. Han shot up, pulled his blaster out, and pointed it at the shadows when Boba Fett stepped out.

"Stay back, Fett!" said Han.

"Relax, Solo" said Fett "Play along and you and the others walk out of this unharmed"

"What do you want, Fett?" asked Han.

"My ship is thrashed back there, I need salvage to repair it" replied Fett "I'm sure your ship would do"

"Eh, don't be getting any ideas!" said Han.

"It's not as if it's going anywhere" said Fett.

"It's our ship nonetheless; it's not as though we can just give it off to anyone" said Han.

"Good point, but it won't save you" said Fett "Besides; if you play along right, I might just give you three a ride back"

"Is that wise, Captain S—" asked C-3PO.

"And what's to say we can trust you on that?" said Han "That's the problem with bounty hunters, they'll turn on you whenever it suits them"

"I'm asking nicely here" said Fett "Either give me your ship willingly or I'll take it over your corpses. Both would suit, but I'd prefer the former if I can get it"

"You want this ship?" said Han "Come and get it"

"Han, don't do anything…" said Leia just before Fett shot at Han. Han dodged and started shooting back at him. "…rash"

"Oh dear, do you think they'll be alright?" asked C-3PO.

"I don't know, 3PO" said Leia "I honestly don't know" Han and Fett started to brawl, with Fett showing the superior skill.

"You just have to right about everything, Solo" said Fett "Even if you're going to die"

"Shut up!" snapped Han.

"Make me" said Fett.

"With pleasure!" said Han.

"Alright then!" said Fett as he retracted blades from his wrist. Suddenly, several large wires shot to the back of Fett's neck and other parts where the Mandalorian iron didn't cover and was electrocuted him unconscious.

"What the heck?" said Leia.

"Apologies for his behavior" said Hondo as he, Manna, and a group of pirates walked up to them "He tends to get a little competitive when he's left on a moon with very little supplies"

"Wait, you're that pirate Hondo Ohnaka" said Han.

"You remember me?" said Hondo.

"How couldn't I?" said Han "You held Luke and Ahsoka captive and tried to bid them off and you left me and my ship for dead"

"Yeah, sorry about that; but you know business" said Hondo.

"You stranded too?" asked Han.

"Not at all" replied Hondo "We just deactivated the tractor beam"

"Wait, you deactivated the tractor beam?" said Leia "How?"

"We found this place a few years ago; another pirate gang had set it up as a trap" replied Hondo "They constructed a large tractor beam which would steer any ships, even ones in hyperspace, into it; and had a labyrinth placed out so they would find themselves trapped. We got caught in it but fought back against the other gang and were triumphant. Afterwards, we took this moon for our own; using it to attract ships in and salvaging the remains"

"Now that's just sneaky" said Han "So where are we?"

"One of the moons of Nimbia, you're still in the Core Worlds" replied Hondo.

"So what are you going to do with the bounty hunter?" asked C-3PO.

"Well, he's an old acquaintance of mine so I'll go easy on him" replied Hondo "I'll call for a pickup, he'll be fine"

"And what about us?" asked Leia.

"Yeah, about that…" said Hondo. He and the other pirates pointed their blasters towards Leia.

"What are you doing?" asked Leia.

"Usually I just demand for a payment in order to get off the planet, but with you I'll make an exception" said Hondo "I've seen you before, you're Princess Leia Organa of the Rebel Alliance. I can find…a better profit off of you"

"Are you seriously going to bargain me off to the Alliance or the Empire like you did to the Jedi?" asked Leia.

"No, no; we've got a better use for you" replied Hondo "Cadfurew the Hutt just released a bounty for you earlier today; and boy, he wants you bad"

"Cadfurew's incarcerated, he can't release a bounty" said Leia. There as a short silence. "Are you telling me that he got out, how?"

"Don't ask me, it's not like I was there" replied Hondo "Point is, he wants you" Leia looked down at the blaster on her waist, pulled it out, and pointed it at them.

"I think you'll find that I'm more than you can handle" said Leia.

"Wanna' bet?" said Hondo as the pirates started circling her.

"He has got a point, Leia" said Han. Leia turned around to see that Han was holding his blaster at her.

"Han, what are you doing?" asked Leia.

"I'm just doing what you'd expect of me, Princess" replied Han "I'm being a no good smuggler"

"Han, this isn't funny" said Leia.

"Of course it isn't" replied Han as he walked over to join the pirates "If it was, I'd be laughing"

"Captain Solo, you can't be serious" said C-3PO.

"That's what I just can't stand about you, 3PO" said Han "You always question something so obvious that it's just lying in front of your face"

"You Nerf herder!" snapped Leia "If you even think you'll be welcomed back into the Alliance after this, then—" Han hit her with a stun blast.

"I thought she'd never shut up" said Han "So this bounty, how much is it if we split it several ways?"

"I only briefly skimmed past it so I'm not completely sure, but I'm sure it's still a lot" said Hondo "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I got a little debt I have to settle and I could really use a lot of money" said Han. Manna frowned.

"Oh dear!" said C-3PO.

 _Meanwhile_

Kota, Rachi Sitra, K'Kruhk, Chelaa, and a group of rebel troopers walked up to Sarke's apartment which was being guarded by two honor guards

"Now remember, search very carefully" said Kota. The honor guards blocked out the door with their force pikes

"We cannot allow you in, General Kota" said one of the honor guards "Chief-of-State Sarke has requested that no one is permitted into his apartment"

"We're conducting a search" said Kota "If we're left undisturbed, we'll only be in there for a few minutes"

"I'm afraid we still can't let you in without authorization from Chief-of-State Sarke himself" said the honor guard "I must ask you to leave now or we'll be forced to call in on this" Suddenly, Chelaa force-pushed both the honor guards forward.

"We knew it was leading to that, better to get it over and done with" said Chelaa.

"Take their weapons and tie them up" said K'Kruhk "We can't afford any trouble"

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka walked towards her brother and sister's apartment, looked tensely at the door, and sighed. She extended her arm out before hesitating and knocked. Alarnaa answered the door.

"Ahsoka, I was wondering when we'd see you next" said Alarnaa.

"Hey Alarnaa" said Ahsoka "Can I join you?"

"Sure" replied Alarnaa "Acashto and I are just having some down time at the moment. Come on in"

"Great" said Ahsoka. She walked in where they found Acashto sitting on a chair.

"Ahsoka, it's been a long while since we last got to talk to you" said Acashto as he got himself up "Are you okay?" Ahsoka didn't reply.

"Is something troubling you, Ahsoka?" asked Alarnaa.

"There is" replied Ahsoka "Acashto, Alarnaa, you may have known that I've been avoiding you lately; and for that, I'm deeply sorry. But it's because something's been troubling me lately"

"What is it?" asked Acashto.

"It started in the aftermath of the Battle of Ord Mantell" said Ahsoka "I was going to catch up with you two but…then I overheard a conversation between you two and I just…just wanted to stay away"

"What was it about the conversation that made you want to stay away?" asked Acashto.

"Well…for a moment, I thought you two said that…you weren't my real brother and sister" replied Ahsoka. Acashto and Alarnaa looked surprised and stunned but not shocked. "Maybe I misinterpreted it but…it really left a bad taste in my mouth and I just want to know what you meant by it"

"Ahsoka, we don't want to hurt you but you deserve to know the truth" said Acashto "We're—"

"Wait, she should hear it from Mom and Dad" said Alarnaa. Whilst she was relieved to be finally getting some answers, Ahsoka just couldn't shake off the cold feeling of dread that surrounded her mind.

 _Meanwhile_

"We've found nothing so far, General" said a rebel trooper as they searched the apartment.

"Search harder" said Kota "We have to be certain" As Chelaa searched, she couldn't help but hear a faint whispering coming from the back corner of the apartment. She rushed off in its direction.

"Chelaa, wait!" said K'Kruhk. Dawn Evergreen stepped onto a rug that caused a faint creaking.

"General, I think I found something" said Dawn "There's something beneath the rug" Kota walked up to the rug.

"Stand aside" said Kota. He force-pushed the rug away to reveal a trapdoor with a lock on it.

"Now that's something, isn't it?" said Dawn.

"Is there a key anywhere?" asked Sitra.

"We don't need one" said Kota. He ignited his lightsaber and cut off the lock underneath before pushing the door up to open. He then started walking down there until something caught his eye at the side of the room. "Mon Mothma!" The former Chief-of-State was lying unconscious on the side of the room handcuffed to a bar in the wall. Kota rushed over to her.

"Master…Kota…" said Mon Mothma "Wait, where are we? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" asked Kota "You're underneath Lei Sarke's apartment"

"Who's Lei Sarke?" asked Mon Mothma.

"She doesn't remember" said Sitra.

"Tell me, what do you remember?" asked Kota.

"I was coming home from my apartment one night when I was assaulted the moment I came home" replied Mon Mothma "Next thing I remember, I was down here. What has happened?"

"It all began weeks ago" replied Kota "You turned up one day with a new aide named Lei Sarke; and in what seemed like no time at all, you had apparently granted him position of Chief-of-State. Ever since then, Sarke was in complete control of the situations; he was able to know everything that was going on and planned accordingly. But after a while we began to suspect that he was up to something"

"He must have had you under his control" said Sitra "But once he got the position, why keep you alive?"

"I know valuable Alliance information" replied Mon Mothma "If he took my position as Chief-of-State, I'm more valuable alive than dead"

 _Meanwhile_

Chelaa walked over to the back corner of the room where she found a large black and red door with various locks on it. She used the force to manipulate the locks and open it up wide. As she stepped inside she found herself in a circular room filled wall-to-wall with Sith Holocrons. As she stood in the center of the room, she could hear a strange voices whispering in a strange language she had never heard before. She looked over at one of the holocrons and extended her hand out as it called for her.

"Chelaa?" said a voice. She turned to see K'Kruhk standing before her. "What is this?"

"I…I found this room" replied Chelaa "I could…feel it" K'Kruhk looked around.

"Sith Holocrons!" said K'Kruhk "This whole room reeks of the dark side" At that moment, Kota and Rachi Sitra entered.

"We've found Mon Mothma" replied Kota "She's alive but—" He noticed the Sith Holocrons around them. "Are those what I think they are?"

"These Sith Holocrons must have taken a long time to gather together" said Sitra.

"It seems he's quite the collector" said K'Kruhk.

"Is he Sith?" asked Chelaa "Is he working for Vader and the Emperor?"

"I don't know what manor of darksider he is or who he's working for, but he's been using us this whole time" said K'Kruhk.

"We have to stop him" said Kota "Master Sitra and I will confront him about it. You two, gather all these holocrons together and dispose of them; we cannot allow a single one to survive"

"Be careful" said K'Kruhk "He won't come willingly, he might even put up a fight"

 _Meanwhile_

Alarnaa brought up a hologram of Mathren and Arlas Tano.

"Children, it's great to see you again" said Mathren "How has everything been?"

"Mom, Dad, there's something I need to talk to you about" said Ahsoka.

"What's that?" asked Arlas.

"Are they my brother and sister?" asked Ahsoka.

"Of course they are" replied Arlas.

"Are they my "real" brother and sister?" asked Ahsoka "Answer me, please" Mathren and Arlas looked at each other in a worried look.

"Ahsoka, I think it's time to tell you something we should have told you a long time ago" said Arlas.

"What is it?" asked Ahsoka.

"It started a long time ago" replied Mathren "I once had a brother named Okuno who went off our homeworld to explore the galaxy. Eventually he found work as a smuggler but he still came back here to see us every now and again"

"Then one day he came to our door in a panic" said Arlas "He told us he was in a debt problem that he couldn't pay up and that he needed to go further underground. He had come to say goodbye"

"But he also gave us something to look after in his absence" said Mathren "It was a child he had shortly before the debt came up. He gave it to us, told us to look after her as our own, and to never reveal her true heritage to anyone. Before he left, he gave us a name; Ahsoka"

"Me?" said Ahsoka.

"We raised you as one of our own until that Kel Dor Jedi came to our planet and took you off to the temple" said Arlas.

"Do you know who my real mother is?" asked Ahsoka.

"We don't know, Okuno never told us" replied Mathren "He turned up dead about a week later, it would seem that he could never pay off his debt after all"

"Why…Why didn't you tell me?" asked Ahsoka.

"Because…Because we had come to accept the lie that we told to protect you" replied Arlas.

"We wanted to tell you, but we could only get around to telling Acashto and Alaranaa" said Mathren. Ahsoka stood there looking utterly mortified and confused.

"Ahsoka, we didn't want you to be upset" said Acashto "But we didn't want—"

"Stay away from me!" snapped Ahsoka whilst stepping back.

"Ahsoka, please" said Alarnaa "We felt that if we revealed it to you all at once, you'd—"

"I'd what?" said Ahsoka "I'd overreact? You had to tell me sooner or later"

"Ahsoka, please" said Arlas "We may not be your parents but we're still family" Ahsoka looked around at the Togrutas that surrounded her.

"I don't know who my family is anymore" said Ahsoka. She turned and left.

 _Meanwhile_

"Boba…" said a female voice "Boba…" Fett woke up to see Aurra Sing looking over him. "You always were a heavy sleeper"

"Aurra…" said Fett. He looked around to see Dengar next to her and Bossk at the cockpit, indicating that he was inside the _Hound's Tooth_. "What happened?"

"Hondo took you by surprise" replied Sing "He still has a few tricks up his sleeve. But he was generous and gave me a call" Fett looked to the corner of the room and noticed Boushh hiding in the shadows.

"Where are we going?" asked Fett.

"To make a pickup" replied Sing.

 _Meanwhile on Vendaxa_

Leia slowly regained consciousness and looked around, finding herself within Hondo's pirate fortress. She tried to wriggle free but found that she was stuck inside a containment field.

"Ah; wakey now, Princess" said Hondo.

"Where's Cadfurew?" asked Leia.

"You haven't been delivered just yet" said Hondo.

"Wouldn't it be better just to get it over and done with?" asked Leia.

"Not just yet" replied Hondo "Hutts give me the creeps, so I'm having an old friend of mine pick you up and deliver you; of course it means that I'll have to split the reward, but it's worth it"

"This is both unnecessary and dangerous, Hondo" said Manna "What's to say they won't turn on us and take the reward for themselves"

"I have good faith, Manna" replied Hondo "And out here, my good faith is law"

"You're good faith will get us all killed one day" said Manna.

"He does have a point, Hondo" said Han "Like that reward wasn't split enough already" Leia turned towards him and a bitter look befell on her face.

"How could you?!" snapped Leia "After all we've been through, you just…you just betray us?"

"Don't act surprised, Princess" said Han. He walked up over to her. "I mean, after all; what seemed like an hour ago, you were going on about how I'd turn on you at the drop of a hat. I mean; c'mon, darling. Am I traitorous scumbag or not? Make up your mind, already!" As Pilf and Pikk Mukmuk (who were perched atop a trembling C-3PO) laughed, a hooded and cloaked figure watched the scene carefully from a stool at the bar. "I mean, that's what I am in the end; a smuggler…" He looked up close at Leia. "…and a scoundrel" He winked at Leia who almost gasped. "Try to keep looking mad" He turned back to Hondo. "Anyways; once I got my part of the reward, I'll be out of here"

"Really?" said Hondo "There's always room for a man like you in our gang"

"Sorry, Hondo; I don't think I'd fit into this group" said Han "Because I might be a scoundrel…" He grabbed Hondo by the arms and held his blaster at his head. "…but even I have my standards"

"Eh, what are you doing!?" snapped Hondo.

"Doing what I was always planning to do, what does it look like?" replied Han. Manna and the other pirates pointed their blasters at Him.

"I wouldn't think so" said Han as he pushed his blaster closer to Hondo's forehead.

"Shoot him anyway!" snapped Manna.

"Eh, don't even think about it!" snapped Hondo.

"Just shut it already" said Han "If everything goes as planned, we'll all walk out of this just fine"

 _Meanwhile_

Kota and Sitra entered Sarke's office.

"Master Kota, Master Sitra; your arrival is unexpected" said Sarke "What is it that you're here for?"

"We're here to discuss something" replied Kota "Come with us"

"And why exactly should I do that?" asked Sarke "Is something the matter"

"I think we both know that Fey'lya is not a double agent" replied Sitra "It was only a diversion to distract us from what you were hiding"

"And what makes you think that?" asked Sarke.

"We found Mon Mothma beneath your apartment and she told us what she knew" said Kota "Or rather what little she knew" Sarke opened a draw on his desk and looked down at the lightsaber in it. "You couldn't let her just go off because it would arose suspicion, but neither could you simply throw away potential information that you could have used to keep up the disguise. And that's not the only thing we discovered" Sarke reached for a button underneath his desk and pressed it.

"A pity" said Sarke "I was beginning to like having Jedi at my fingertips" He pulled out his lightsaber and force-pushed the desk at Kota and Rachi Sitra who slashed it in half. He then ignited his lightsaber and lunged at them before they ignited their lightsabers and clashed with him.

"You shouldn't have tried this" said Kota "But that is not the way of the Sith, is it?"

"I am no Sith!" snapped Sarke. They continued clashing.

"Surrender, Sarke" said Sitra "There's two of us and one of you, you won't be able to hold this up forever" Sarke looked at the two of them before turning the lightsaber towards himself and skimming it across his arm with a loud scream. He fell himself to his knees and hid the lightsaber beneath his coat. At that moment, two honor guards ran in.

"Sir, what happened?" asked one of the honor guards.

"They…They attacked me…" said Sarke "I asked them to leave politely but they attacked me"

"Cease hostility, Jedi!" said the other honor guards as they pointed their force pikes at them.

"It's not what you think!" said Kota. As Sarke watched the scene play out, he snuck off.

"We'll be the judge of that, Jedi" said the first honor guard. Sarke snuck down the hallway when he found K'Kruhk, Chelaa, and a group of rebel troopers in his way.

"You!" said Sarke.

"Expecting someone else?" said K'Kruhk "Don't think you can get your way out of this; we have Mon Mothma to testify and those Sith holocrons will be used as evidence against you before we dispose of them. You have nowhere to go" At that moment, a TZ-15 shuttle flew up behind and fired it's laser cannons upon them, shattering the glass window.

"Get down!" said Chelaa. As they all ducked, the shuttle's hatch opened up to reveal two figures dressed in red armor and equipped with large rifles who started shooting at them. A large male Talortai dressed in green garments and wielding two large silver blades emerged between them.

"Havdori, hurry!" yelled the Talortai. Sarke leapt off onto the hatch.

"I think you'll find that I have friends in different places" said Sarke "More than you could ever realize" The shuttle closed its hatch and flew off.

 _Meanwhile_

The _Hound's Tooth_ landed in Hondo's pirate fortress with Sing and the others getting out.

"Yep, this is the place" said Sing "Time to get ourselves in" As they walked over to the main building, Fett looked back at Boushh.

"Who's the new guy?" asked Fett.

"His name is Boushh" replied Sing "We picked him up a while ago; he's an Ubese, mysterious wanderers who you rarely see. He keeps to himself mostly but he's proven useful"

"Do you trust him?" asked Fett.

"Hardly" replied Sing "If he tries anything, I'll blast him"

 _Meanwhile_

The pirates deactivated Leia's containment field and she dropped to the ground.

"There, that was simple enough" said Han whilst pulling Hondo's blaster from his belt and throwing it over to Leia.

"Captain Solo, what about me?" asked C-3PO "You can't just leave me here!"

"I'll get to you in a sec" said Han as he and Leia slowly walked over to the door "Now, if you don't mind, we'll just get ourselves out of here in an orderly fashion" As they turned to leave, Sing and the other bounty hunters entered and raised their blasters at them. "Things just can't go smoothly, can't they?"

"Han Solo, Hondo forgot to mention you" said Sing.

"I thought he was with us now" said Hondo. As they talked, Boushh disappeared into the shadows.

"Quick word of advice, Hondo; don't trust anyone" said Sing. She looked over at Leia. "And you must be the Princess we're supposed to deliver"

"Who are you?" asked Leia.

"Bounty hunter Aurra Sing, here to take you to Cadfurew the Hutt" replied Sing "Now listen, we can do this the easy way or the hard way; and before you decide, I'd like to mention that Cadfurew is fine with dead or alive. So it's your call"

"If you so much as raise a blaster towards her, I'll pull this trigger and blow your boyfriend's brains out" said Han.

"You can try that, but it won't make it easier for you" said Sing.

"Aurra, quit stalling" said Bossk "We've got a bounty to collect"

"I would, but it seems we've got some difficulties here" said Sing.

"Then let me take a handle of this" said Fett. He slowly walked up to Han and pointed his blaster against his head. "It's been a long day, Solo; if you try to pull this out any longer, I will end you; and I won't even hesitate"

"Wow, you seemed to have forgotten an important an important fact" said Han.

"And what would that be?" asked Fett.

"Um, hostage?" replied Han.

"You say that as if I care" said Fett. Hondo looked over at Fett.

"Boba, it's me" said Hondo "It's Hondo, remember? I was a good friend of your father"

"And you were also the one who stunned me back on that moon" said Fett "Don't think I don't know, Aurra told me about how she found me. It was no coincidence that you knew where I was"

"I only stunned you because you left me no choice" said Hondo "You were attacking them and I wanted them so I had to stop you from doing it"

"I was attacking them because I needed parts for my ship" said Fett "If you wanted me to stop, you could have just offered me a transport; and yet you chose to stun me, like I was some animal" Hondo sighed.

"Fine, I admit it; it was a poor decision on my part that I should have thought better about" said Hondo "But don't condemn a man over one bad mistake he made towards you. Please, Boba; think of what your father would—"

"You think of me as my father?" said Fett "I may have followed in his footsteps, but that doesn't mean I'm him. So if you want to live through this, keep your mouth shut" At that moment, the hooded figure grabbed Sing and pointed a spring knife at her neck.

"Not another step, bounty hunters" said the figure. As Bossk and Dengar aimed their blasters towards the hooded figure, it pulled its hood off to reveal an orange female Twi'lek with a prosthetic left lekku, but lacked the accent. "Solo, Organa; I've come for you. The Alliance sent"

"How are we supposed to know for certain?" asked Leia.

"What do you want, a written document or something?" said the Twi'lek "Just trust me so we can get out of here"

"Kinda' busy right now" said Han. At that moment, Boushh snuck up behind Leia and knocked her on the back of the head. He then pulled out an electrostaff and stunned her before grabbing her by the arms and dragging.

"Hey, that's our bounty!" snapped Sing "Bossk, Dengar; stop him!" As Bossk and Dengar pointed their blasters at Boushh, the Ubese pulled out a remote and activated various lasers which came from the walls and formed an tight web which trapped all of them off. "Boushh, you double-crossing little laigrek!"

"You said it yourself, Sing; in this line of profession, don't trust anyone" said Boushh "I work alone, I only took the risk of going along with you because I knew you would lead me to big game; and this is it"

"I knew we could never trust you!" snarled Bossk.

"Then you should have killed me when you had the chance" said Boushh.

"Put her down!" snapped Han as he aimed his blaster past the lasers.

"If you say so" said Boushh as he pulled out a blaster and aimed it at Leia's head "After all, the bounty is dead or alive" Han clenched his teeth as he slowly lowered his blaster. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bounty to collect" He dragged Leia off.

"You're going to die!" said Sing.

"What?" said Boushh.

"Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow; but one day, you're going to die" said Sing "And I swear I'll be there when it happens"

"I'd cover my bets if I were you" said Boushh "After all, it is how you got yourself into this mess to begin with" He dragged Leia out of the building.

"I really hate that guy" said Han.

"Uh, you can let us go any time; you know that, right?" said Hondo. Han and the Twi'lek pushed Hondo and Sing away.

"We should have slagged him the moment he came aboard!" snarled Bossk.

"Great, go back in time so we can get him before he betrayed us" said Sing.

"Will you guys shut it, it ain't helping" said Han.

"Neither are you, Solo" said Sing

 _Meanwhile_

Boushh dragged Leia out into to a _Flarestar_ -class attack shuttle, cuffed her against a railing, and took off.

"Time to collect my bounty" said Boushh.

 **Author's note** : Anyways, sorry for the slight delay; things have just been a little difficult lately and I guess I was still trying to figure out whether or not to go forward with the revision. I still hope I made the right decision for the long run.

 **Hellman76** : I have to admit, that's actually an interesting plotline; but having gone through some thought process for some time, I've decided to go with a different plotline for her family. I hope this isn't too disappointing to hear.


	15. Hutt Wars

**Author's note** : Hello everyone; I'm back with another chapter. Okay, I'll get the hard news out of the way first; I understand fully that my decision to revamp previous chapters was very controversial and if anyone was upset by it, I am very sorry. I did a lot of thinking on whether or not to readjust earlier chapters and I'm still hoping the decision I made was the right one. That being said, I hope everyone is enjoying this season so far; and if you are, I would appreciate feedback very much :). And if any of you have constructive criticism to help improve the future of my series, I would also appreciate it very much.

 **Hutt Wars**

 _Secrets revealed! After investigating his apartment, Chief-of-State Sarke is revealed not only to have manipulated his way in but to be a Dark Jedi as well! After engaging Master Kota, Master Sitra, and Master K'Kruhk attempted to apprehend him, he escaped with the help of the mysterious Urai Fen!_

 _Meanwhile, after crash-landing on a moon and getting captured by pirates, Princess Leia has been taken by the Ubese bounty hunter Boushh who trapped Han Solo and the other bounty hunters within a laser grid! Now he is off to hand her over to Cadfurew the Hutt who has amassed a large fleet that turns its eye towards the Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta…_

 _Deep space_

Boushh flew towards a large _Aggressor_ -class Star Destroyer and landed in its hanger, with various Hutt security droids walking up to it.

"C'mon out!" snapped Boushh as he pulled Leia up made her walk with him over to the hatch.

"Whatever Cadfurew is paying you; the Alliance can double it, triple it even" said Leia "You just need to return me to Corellia, that's all you have to do"

"I'm fine with the bounty I have" said Boushh "Besides, I don't imagine the Alliance is soft on bounty hunters who take their princesses" He pulled Leia out of the ship and walked over to the security droids. "I've come for the bounty on this woman"

"Follow us" said one of the security droids. They brought them to the bridge where Cadfurew waited for them with Urai Fen (the Talortai) by his side. "Master, this bounty hunter has captured the woman you posted the bounty for" Cadfurew grinned evilly.

"Excellent work, bounty hunter" said Cadfurew "You've done very well"

"Can I just have my payment and leave?" snapped Boushh.

"Momentarily, there's still work to do" said Cadfurew.

"Cadfurew, how did you escape?" asked Leia

"With the help of bounty hunters of course" said Cadfurew "They stirred up a riot in the prison and I was able to escape within the madness. And the moment I was off Corellia, I made sure my first action was to post a bounty for you. You know, I can feel some real bad blood between us, Leia; you did send me to prison after all"

"You should have thought of that before you sided with Vader" said Leia.

"And you should have thought of that before you realized that I have higher connections than you think" said Cadfurew "For example, ha you ever thought that the one who helped me hire the bounty hunter to assassinate you was underneath your nose the whole time" Leia looked over at the shadowy figure in the corner. "Face it, princess; you've been had from the beginning" Lei Sarke stepped out of the shadows.

"Lei Sarke!" exclaimed Leia.

"Don't you mean "Havdori Airotsih"?" said Cadfurew "That is his real name, after all"

"Real name?" said Leia.

"Lei Sarke was merely an alias, something to use in case anyone ever heard my real name" said Havdori "Did you really think I would take up a guise and use my real name?"

"You…You were the double agent this whole time!" said Leia.

"More than you could ever imagine" said Sarke "Did you ever think it was a mere coincidence that I became Chief-of-State shortly after the attempt on your life?"

"Now, now; explanations can come later" said Cadfurew "We have business to adjourn to"

"The boss isn't happy about this" said Urai "He's not fond of the Hutts, but he isn't going to wage war against them like this. This vendetta of yours is very intrusive to our other operations"

"Then I'll make it brief" said Cadfurew "Set course for Nal Hutta, I have a score to settle"

"You won't get away with this!" snapped Leia "The Alliance will know of this!"

"They already do" replied Havdori "But it won't be of any use now; I am more powerful than you could ever know" He started force-choking Leia.

"Stop it!" snapped Cadfurew "I'm saving her death for later!" Havdori released Leia.

"You should thank him, at least he has the nerve to keep you alive for a little longer" said Havdori. Urai only glared at him with disdain.

 _Meanwhile_

"I swear; when I get out of here, I'll find Boushh and kick into the nearest sarlacc pit!" said Aurra.

"I would save that for when we actually get out of here" said Hondo.

"Face it, sister; he took all of us by surprise" said Dengar.

"Could you guys keep it down!" snapped the Twi'lek who was now sitting cross-legged on the table and examining the lasers carefully.

"So what's the deal, anyway?" asked Han.

"What do you mean?" asked the Twi'lek.

"Well, who are you and how did the Alliance send you?" asked Han.

"My name is Rianna Saren, I'm a mercenary who the Alliance sent to retrieve you" replied the Twi'lek "I've had experience with underworld environments in the past so I knew to take it carefully. I was planning to rescue you two in a more subtle manner; but after the bounty hunters intervened, I knew I had to step in"

"How did the Alliance even know we were here?" asked Han.

"I'm not sure, I just assumed that they located you somehow" replied Rianna "It's not really part of the job to ask questions like that" Han looked over at her prosthetic lekku.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how—" asked Han.

"Yes, I do mind" replied Rianna "But you can worry about that later, I think I found a way out"

"Really?" said Han "How?"

"These lasers come from a source that Boushh stuck to the walls" replied Rianna "If we can destroy them, we may have a way out"

"So do you know where they are?" asked Han.

"That's what I've been looking for" replied Rianna "There well hidden, but I found enough of them to clear the way" She pulled out her blaster and shot one of them.

"Hey, did one of the lasers just go down?" said Hondo.

"Just relax, I'm dealing with this" said Rianna "Solo; once I get enough down, we'll make a dash for it. I doubt these bounty hunters will stay passive when they know they can get out"

"That's an understatement" said Han. Rianna continued to shoot the laser projectors until enough of them were out.

"Hurry, let's go!" said Rianna as she and Han ran out of the room, and as she pressed a device on her wrist.

"Here's our chance, get them!" snapped Fett as he and the other bounty hunters chased after the two of them.

"Well, I suppose that sorts that out" said Hondo. Suddenly, he heard a loud clicking as every pirate in the room pulled out their blasters and aimed them at him.

"No, there's just one little thing left to tie up" said Manna as he walked up to Hondo with a blaster.

"Manna, you have an involvement in this?" said Hondo.

"I'm the one who led it, in fact" said Manna "You see, the others and I have gotten a little tired with all these risks with no results; so we decided to band together and take this into our own hands"

"This is mutiny!" said Hondo.

"No, it's business" said Manna.

 _Meanwhile_

"So where's your ship?" asked Han as they raced out.

"It's…in the forest" replied Rianna.

"Wait, you serious?" said Han.

"I didn't want to draw attention to the pirates in case the worst happened" said Rianna "But it's okay, I called for a pickup and it should be here soon"

"How soon?" said a voice. They turned around to see Fett and the other bounty hunters standing before them.

"Okay; listen, Fett" said Han "I know you came for Leia; but with her gone, there's no reason to turn to me"

"Oh, but there is" said Fett "Even if Jabba's going soft on you for the moment, the Empire will still pay a great price for you; and as a bonus, I get to beat you up"

"Don't even think about it!" snapped Han.

"Really?" said Fett "After all the trouble you've caused me today, you're expecting me to go easy on you; this ain't the right galaxy for that, Solo. Let's go, boys!" The bounty hunters started shooting at Han and Rianna who shot back.

"So; this ride of yours, how long will it take to get here?" asked Han as they hid behind a pair of crates.

"Soon enough" replied Rianna.

"Knowing these guys, that's not soon enough" said Han

"We just need to hold out a little longer" said Rianna "Relax, everything will be fine as long as we keep our wits about ourselves"

"Stand back, guys" said Dengar as he pulled out a concussion grenade "This'll get 'em!" He threw the grenade towards Han and Rianna.

"Shoot!" snapped Han shortly before the grenade went off and blew the both of them back "Concussion grenades…damn them!" Suddenly, Fett blasted towards Han and pinned him to the ground before placing his rifle directly at Han's face.

"Don't move, Solo" said Fett "Imperials prefer it if the reward is in one piece"

"How considerate of you" said Han. Suddenly, a 22-B Nightfalcon zoomed up to them.

"Finally!" said Rianna. As the speeder bike shot towards her, she leapt up onto him and zoomed over to the bounty hunters shooting at them. In the chaos, Han rolled out of Fett's grip and hid behind a crate.

"Oh no, you're not getting out of this that easily" said Fett. He fired his flamethrower at Han who ducked and rolled.

"Hey, a little help here?!" shouted Han.

"Just a sec" said Rianna. She swooped over and Han grabbed on, getting himself up onto the passenger seat. "We have to get out of here"

"Right" said Han.

"Wait!" exclaimed C-3PO, still with the two Mukmuk brothers on him, raced as quickly as he could out of the building "What about me!?"

"Don't worry, 3PO; I've got it" said Han. He pulled his blaster out again and aimed at the protocol droid carefully.

"Wait, what are you—" exclaimed C-3PO shortly before Han shot at his shoulder lightly, scaring the Kowakian monkey-lizards off.

"Fly down" said Han. Rianna zoomed over so that Han could pick C-3PO up and place him on the cargo area.

"Captain Solo, what was that for?" asked C-3PO.

"Needed to get the vermin off you first" replied Han. They zoomed across the jungle as an Acklay hissed at them.

"Oh my!" said C-3PO.

 _Meanwhile at Nal Hutta_

Cadfurew's fleet (which also contained _Crusader_ -class corvettes, Interceptor IV frigates, and _Keldabe_ -class battleships) flew out of hyperspace above Nal Hutta.

"Here we are" said Cadfurew "Make contact with the council" One of the Hutt security droids typed into the controls.

"We have the upper advantage" said Havdori "If anything, we should strike now while they're unaware; then what's left of them will have no choice"

"I would much rather rule the clan as it is now then to rule what's left of it" replied Cadfurew. A hologram of the Hutt Ruling Council appeared in front of them. Jabba bellowed angrily in Huttese.

"Hello to you too, Jabba" said Cadfurew.

"What do you want, Cadfurew?!" snapped Jabba in Huttese.

"I'm here to take what is rightfully mine" replied Cadfurew "Long have I been denied my inheritance; it's time to take it back, by force if necessary. Give me leadership of the Hutt clan and all of resources and connections; I think you're all smart enough to figure out the rest"

"Why should we take give anything to you, you overgrown sha'rellian toop?" asked Arok in Huttese.

"I'm glad you asked that" replied Cadfurew "On board this ship alone is countless weapons; gravity bombs, viral containers, the works. If you do not comply with my demands, I will drop all them onto the surface of the planet leaving it nothing but a wasteland" Marlo said something in Huttese. "Then I'll just have to build the remnants back up; it will take time, but we all know that I have plenty of it. But I am not without mercy, I will grant you twelve standard hours to come up with a decision; if I do not receive anything within that time, I will drop the weapons anyway. And don't even think of setting any of your fighters against me because I'll drop the bombs on sight"

"What are the exact precisions of your demands?" asked Gorga in Huttese.

"I will explain them in full detail afterwards" replied Cadfurew "Now hurry, make a choice"

 _Meanwhile_

The hologram of Cadfurew disappeared.

"Jabba, surely you must know what to do?" asked Pegrea in Huttese "You know Cadfurew better than anyone"

"He's been after your eminence for years, father" said Rotta's hologram in Huttese.

"And we know he'll go to great lengths to get it" said Marlo in Huttese.

"And if we attack him, it could be simply suicide" said Gorga in Huttese "It would seem that he holds all the cards in this situation" Jabba's hologram began laughing which caused the other Hutts to look at him in confusion.

"We are not Cadfurew's only enemies" said Jabba in Huttese "The Rebel Alliance has almost as much against him as we do. If we let them know of his whereabouts, they will destroy him for us"

"Are you sure they will comply?" asked Gorga in Huttese. Jabba laughed again.

"The Alliance would never turn down the chance to take out a potential threat, especially when it could interfere with their war with the Empire" replied Jabba in Huttese "Prepare communications; it's time to play negotiator" He laughed again.

 _Meanwhile on Corellia_

"I still can't believe Sarke was a Dark Jedi" said Ackbar "I mean; his methods were mysterious and suspicious, but I never thought he was a Force-user"

"The Jedi's greatest enemy was hiding in plain sight for years and we were still caught by surprise" said K'Kruhk "In any case, we have to locate him"

"But how?" asked Kota who sat at Mon Mothma's desk "He's completely disappeared from our sights. And if we spend our time on an investigation, it will take time; time we might not have with the war on our hands already"

"And we still have Cadfurew to worry about" said Sitra "He hasn't reemerged since he escaped and one could assume his planning his next move"

"It is all the more reason why we have to wrap it up quickly" said K'Kruhk "A new darksider on the loose could cause trouble for us if we don't do something; and given how the Empire is being controlled by the Sith, we could use less of this kind of trouble"

"I agree; but as acting Chief-of-State while Mon Mothma recuperates, I say we have to take things steadily until we have conclusive proof of either Sarke or Cadfurew's location" said Kota.

"I just hope it's not too late by then" said Sitra. At that moment, the desk's communicator began to beep.

"A transmission from Tatooine, sir" said the Bothan aide.

"Bring it up" said Kota. The Bothan aide brought up a hologram of Jabba who said something in Huttese.

"The might Jabba the Hutt greets you, members of the Alliance" translated KT-123.

"And what do we owe the pleasure?" asked Kota. Jabba said something in Huttese.

"He has a request for you; one which you cannot ignore" translated KT-123. Jabba said something else in Huttese. "The planet Nal Hutta is being threatened by his brother Cadfurew the Hutt. Kota narrowed his eyes.

"What is he doing?" asked Kota. Jabba said something in Huttese.

"He has brought a large fleet and is threatening to bombard the surface with terrible weapons to leave the planet in ruins, unless his demands are met" translated KT-123. Jabba said something else in Huttese. "He wishes to rule over the Hutt clans; and given how his last act before imprisonment was to destroy their neutrality by making them side with the Empire, it is best not to have him as a continuous threat"

"Why do you need us then?" asked Ackbar "Surely you have the resources to deal with him yourself" Jabba said something in Huttese.

"Cadfurew threatens to drop the weapons upon the surface if we attack him" translated KT-123 "We would only be ensuring our own doom" Kota thought for a moment.

"You have our interest" said Kota "We will discuss it and make a decision in due time" Jabba said something in Huttese.

"We have about twelve standard hours before he attacks anyway" said KT-123 "The decision had better be quick" The hologram switched.

"We have to comply" said Sitra "Nal Hutta houses countless civilians and Cadfurew's willing to kill all of them just to gain power"

"And this is a perfect opportunity to stop him" said K'Kruhk "If we don't take it now, he might gain too much influence and become essentially untouchable; especially if he salvages the remnants of the Hutt Cartel" Kota thought for a moment.

"Ackbar, prepare the Alliance fleet and set a course for Nal Hutta" said Kota "Make sure to surround Cadfurew's ships; now that we know where he is, we cannot allow him to escape" At that moment, Rianna and Han entered.

"Bad news; I was to retrieve the smuggler, but a bounty hunter got the princess—" said Rianna "Did something just change?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kota.

"Where's the Chief-of-State?" asked Rianna "He payed me to go to Vendaxa and retrieve the smuggler and the princess"

"Well, at least some good came from Sarke's foresight" said K'Kruhk.

"What happened?" asked Kota.

"It's a long and quite complicated story, but I'll shorten it for you" said Han "Leia's been captured by a bounty hunter who's going to hand her over to Cadfurew the Hutt. If we want to get her back, we have to act quickly"

"It's quite fortunate then" said Kota.

"Why is it "fortunate" exactly?" asked Han.

"Because we just learnt of Cadfurew's current location" replied Kota.

 _Later_

"Let's move out at once!" said Ackbar as the Rebel ships were loaded "Remember; we've only got a few more hours before Cadfurew carpet-bombs the surface, so we have to get there as quick as possible" As K'Kruhk watched, Chelaa ran up to him.

"Master, what's happening?" asked Chelaa.

"There's a threat around Nal Hutta that we have to answer" replied K'Kruhk "If we fail, it could mean the death of millions" He looked over at Chelaa and noticed that she looked tired. "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing" replied Chelaa "I'm just…a little shaken, is all"

"I can understand" said K'Kruhk" said K'Kruhk "Being so close to dark side artifacts can have a great strain on you. But don't worry; with all of the holocrons destroyed, things should be getting back to normal"

"Right" said Chelaa "There was one thing I was meaning to ask you something"

"And what is that?" asked K'Kruhk.

"I remember the first time we met and you told me all about my aunt and how she was a Jedi" replied Chelaa.

"Yes, I remember" said K'Kruhk "Aayla and I knew each other; and while I didn't see eye-to-eye with her master, Quinlan Vos, all of the time, I will admit that he trained her well"

"It's just…that's what inspired me to go with you, follow in her footsteps" said Chelaa "And recently…recently I've…I've wanted to be her, everything she was. Is that unnatural?"

"Chelaa, there are always days where we want to be our idols" said K'Kruhk "The people we look up to set a certain standard that we want to reach. And whilst having goals to achieve can help you push yourself forward, you shouldn't hold onto it forever. Your aunt was a legendary Jedi Knight and a good friend; but if you want to commemorate her memory well, just remember that you are not her and you should never try to be. She was Aayla Secura, Jedi Knight of the Republic; you are Chelaa Secura, her niece. You too are a Jedi; and although the rank of Knight I gave is unofficial, you have long since earned it. I am proud of you, and she would be too. Just remember that her achievements are her achievements, but there are plenty of achievements awaiting you as well"

"Thank you" said Chelaa.

"Now, you can go rest" said K'Kruhk "It's been a lot for you all of a sudden, so it's best to regain your strength"

"I'll see you when you get back" said Chelaa. She walked off into a hallway and into a closet where she closed the door behind herself carefully. She upturned several boxes until she pulled out a single Sith Holocron and gazed at it with full intent.

 _Meanwhile above Yaronn_

The _Achushnut_ came out of hyperspace above Yaronn and flew down towards the planet's surface. Within the cargo hold, Hondo lay on the ground bound up with Parsel and Goru standing guard over him.

"Eh…" said Hondo "Eh, fellas! Parsel! Goru! Hey!"

"What is it?" snapped Goru.

"Are you guys seriously going to allow Manna to do this?" asked Hondo "I mean, he's shorter than the both of you and has a fiery temper. Besides, don't you remember all the times we had? We were in this gang long before he ever was"

"I do know that, but that doesn't change much" said Goru.

"Besides; Manna does have a point, Hondo" said Parsel "Things haven't been going well for a long time. We're a pirate gang, Hondo; we need assured payment"

"But this?" said Hondo "I mean, locking me up within my own fortress would at least make sense; but isn't exile just…just…a little harsh?"

"Well…I suppose it's a bit—" said Parsel.

"What's going on in here?" asked Manna as he entered.

"Nothing, sir" said Parsel.

"Have you been talking to the prisoner?" asked Manna.

"No sir" replied Parsel. Manna looked back and forth between them and Hondo.

"I knew I should have gagged him" said Manna "Anyways, we're here. Take him to the loading ramp" Parsel and Goru picked Hondo up and brought him over to the ramp.

"Manna, old friend, does it have to be like this?" asked Hondo "I mean, is leaving me on this planet actually necessary"

"Yes it is" said Manna "One last thing, I'd stay near the shoreline if I were you; that forest doesn't all that inviting" Parsel and Goru pushed Hondo onto the beach below. "So long, Ohnaka!" The ramp folded up and the ship flew away, leaving Hondo lying on the beach.

"This is my gang now" said Manna.

 _Later_

"They had better hurry up" said Cadfurew "I feel like I'm in the mood to just drop one of those bombs just to wake them up"

"That would merely be wasting firepower, an ill-advised course of action" said Havdori.

"Well it's better than just waiting around any longer" said Cadfurew.

"You need patience to build an Empire" said Havdori.

"Patience, huh?" said Cadfurew "Let me tell you something; I've had patience all my life, and it has gotten me nothing"

"Maybe you were not doing it right" said Havdori.

"Or maybe I was simply denied what is rightfully mine" said Cadfurew "I've waited long enough, it's time to seize it back"

"Something happened to you, didn't it?" said Havdori.

"You have no idea" said Cadfurew "It all started back when I was just a Huttlet. I was brought up with the belief that I was Zorba the Hutt's first child, and therefore had the most right to his inheritance; but then the other children came along, most notable of all was Jabba. I waited for years and years for my inheritance, but it never came; he essentially gave everything to his other children, especially to Jabba. Eventually I got tired of waiting and asked him why he left me nothing; and that's when he revealed the truth. I was not his son, not truly; he found me washed up on the bank of a river once and decided to take me in out of pity. Maybe if he actually gave me something, lying to me would have proved effective"

"So this is all out of parental issues?" asked Havdori.

"You take this lightly, don't you?!" snapped Cadfurew "I was brought up my entire life believing I was the eldest only to find out I was never his child to begin with! I eventually had to gain my own power by myself, but I did get some help from one of Jabba's former allies. But it was never enough; I wanted leadership of the Hutt Clans, but I knew I could never be simply given it. Eventually I was approached by Darth Vader who wanted help in gaining allegiance with the Hutts via deception, and I saw it as the opportunity I had been waiting for; but I was robbed of my chance by the Alliance. Now I'm going to take it back"

"Sir, there are multiple ships coming out of hyperspace" said one of the security droids at the controls.

"What kind of ships?" snapped Cadfurew. At that moment, the Alliance fleet came out of hyperspace above Nal Hutta. "Those are Alliance cruisers!"

"This operation of yours has led Rebels right to us, you're proving yourself more of a liability than an ally" said Urai.

"Then I'll just have to crush those Rebels!" snapped Cadfurew "All crew, prepare for battle; go out and attack the Alliance fleet!"

"A battle!" snarled Boushh whilst darting his head around in a paranoid manner "I didn't sign up for this!" He snuck off out of the bridge.

 _Meanwhile_

"All craft, surround the ships and block them off from the planet's surface" said Ackbar "We have to keep them at bay or they'll devastate the surface"

"Believe me; if you've seen Nal Hutta, you'll wonder how it could get any more devastated" said Han out of the ship's comlink.

"This is no time for joking, Captain Solo" said Ackbar into the ship's comlink "Millions of lives are at stake here"

 _Meanwhile_

"Got it, got it" said Han as he stepped aboard an LAAT gunship with Sitra, K'Kruhk, and several rebel troopers.

"We've identified that large ship in the middle to be Cadfurew's craft" said the rebel pilot in the cockpit "Our best guess is that Princess Organa is on it, and possibly the weapons as well"

"Alright, let's go get Leia" said Han. The gunship took off and flew over towards Cadfurew's star destroyer with several X-Wings and Y-Wings surrounding them. A group of _StarViper_ -class attack platforms flew at them and began shooting.

"Antilles, can you give us some cover?" asked K'Kruhk into his comlink.

"Sure can" replied Wedge into his comlink "Just don't take too long; TIE fighters get mowed down easily in small groups, but I'm not sure how easy these things will be to beat"

"You do your job and we'll do ours" said K'Kruhk.

 _Meanwhile_

Havdori began to sense the presence of the Jedi nearing the ship and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" asked Cadfurew.

"There are Jedi coming" replied Havdori "I'm going to take care of them" He left the bridge.

"Force-users, huh!" said Cadfurew "Always about "this" and "that". Acting as if—" Urai turned to leave the bridge. "What are you doing? You can't just—"

"You are not in charge of this organization, you are merely an ally of it" said Urai "You do not have full say here; the very fact that we allowed you to have this little mission still confuses me. Now you have pitted us up against a faction within a much larger war simply out of some vendetta you have. You caused this mess and I'm going to clean it up"

"But…But…" said Cadfurew shortly before Urai turned and left.

 _Meanwhile_

As Boushh walked over to the cell where Leia was being held, the two security droids who stood guard aimed their blasters at him.

"Hold it!" said one of the security droid.

"Stand aside, droids!" snapped Boushh.

"Do you have permission to approach the prisoner?" asked the security droid.

"My business is my own!" snapped Boushh.

"We will need proof from Cadfurew himself that you are allowed near her" said the other security droid.

"Until then, we cannot allow you past" said the first security droid.

"Just let me in!" snapped Boushh.

"Master, there's—" said the first security droid before Boushh pulled out his electrostaff and stabbed him with it. The other security droid aimed his blaster at the bounty hunter who bashed him over the head with his electrostaff and then in the chest. He then pulled out his blaster and shot at them multiple times, even after they were obviously not active anymore. He then shot open the door and entered where Leia was being held chain-up on a large slab.

"So I guess this is where the torture begins" said Leia "I must say, I was expecting Cadfurew to oversee it himself"

"Shut up, you dainty weed!" snapped Boushh as he wacked her across the face with his electrostaff. He pulled out a chain and collar and attached it to her neck.

"What are you doing?" asked Leia "I thought you delivered me to where you wanted me"

"Business has gone sour" replied Boushh "I'm out of here now, and you're coming with me" He deactivated the containment field.

"And what use will I be to you then?" asked Leia as Boushh placed handcuffs on her. Boushh pulled out his blaster and placed it on her forehead.

"I read your file, you're a key member of the Rebellion" replied Boushh "I'm sure the Empire will pay a good price to get their hands on you. Now come on!" He abruptly pulled her chain as he made his way out of the cell.

 _Meanwhile_

"We're almost at the ship" said the rebel pilot of the LAAT gunship.

"They're going to be prepared for us" said Sitra "Expect heavy resistance"

"Then we'll have to fight extra hard then" said K'Kruhk. As they landed in the hanger, he and Sitra ignited their lightsabers and started slashing down the security droids as Han and the rebel troopers shot them down until there were none left. "Right, now let's locate Leia; she should be in the cells, unless Cadfurew has her personally kept around him"

"I've never seen this ship before" said Sitra "Are you sure we can find her in enough time?"

"That depends on how well you execute the plan" said a voice. K'Kruhk turned around to see Havdori standing before them. He pulled out his lightsaber and ignited it.

"You!" said K'Kruhk "All of you, get out of here; we'll handle this" As Han and the rebel troopers left the hanger, Havdori walked over to K'Kruhk and Sitra. "I should have investigated you the moment you became Chief-of-State"

"Was it really a bad thing?" said Havdori "Under my leadership, we were on a winning streak; under my leadership, we could have won this war"

"Using foresight and deception" said K'Kruhk "You were using us to gain power for yourself; whatever reasons you were using it for, they end today"

"No, they won't" said Havdori. He swung his lightsaber and clashed with K'Kruhk and Sitra.

 _Meanwhile_

"This way!" said Field Commander Covfaul as he and the other rebel troopers raced off down the corridor. One of the troopers stopped by a large storage room.

"Commander Covfaul, I think you might want to see this" said the rebel trooper. Covfaul and the other rebel troopers walked back and stopped at the storage room. Inside were all of gravity bombs, viral containers, and other terrible weapons that Cadfurew was threatening to bomb Nal Hutta with all strapped down in containers.

 _Meanwhile_

"Move it!" snapped Boushh as he tugged the chain harder on Leia.

"Not much of a gentleman, are you?" said Leia.

"It's not part of the job so I don't bother with it" said Boushh. At that moment, Han raced up in front of them and suddenly stopped when he noticed Boushh.

"Oh shoot!" said Han.

"Han!" said Leia.

"You!" said Boushh. He pulled out at Han and shot, only for the smuggler to take cover behind a corner.

"Why does this always happen?" said Han quietly to himself.

"Come out, Solo!" snapped Boushh. He pulled out a thermal detonator. "Unless you want me to blow you out!"

"Eh, eh; we're cool, we're cool!" said Han as he walked out with his hands up.

"Drop the weapon" said Boushh.

"Eh, I hardly think that's going to make a—" said Han.

"Drop it!" snapped Boushh. Han dropped his blaster.

"Okay, okay; I'm cooperating" said Han "Are we cool now?"

"Oh no, we're not" said Boushh "You've just wasted my time, so—" Suddenly, Leia grabbed the chain, wrapped it around his neck, and pulled him back really hard. As the thermal detonator fell from his hand, Han slid along the floor and grabbed it before it could land.

"Phew!" sighed Han. As Boushh landed on the ground, his mask was knocked off revealing his scarred and stitched Ubese face.

"You whelp!" snapped Boushh. He pulled out his electrostaff, activated it, and lunged at Leia who rolled along the ground and grabbed the other end of the weapon.

"This whelp still has some fight in her!" said Leia. As the two desperately struggled over the electrostaff, Leia eventually managed to push it back and knock it right into Boushh's forward, causing him to fall back against the wall.

"Damn you!" snarled Boushh as he pulled out his blaster and aimed it at Leia, only for Han to walk up to him and punch him out.

"I have to say, you do a good job with that chain back there" said Han. At that moment, Leia slapped him across the face. "Not what I was expecting" Leia then hugged him tight. "That's much better than the slap" Leia then pushed herself off. "You're just confused, aren't you?"

"I'll explain it to you when we're both safe" said Leia "Let's get out of here. How did you get on board?"

"Picked a ride with the Alliance" replied Han.

"Then let's head that way" said Leia "Take me to the hanger"

"This way" said Han. Leia picked up Boushh's blaster and followed Han down the corridor.

 _Meanwhile_

"I'm impressed" said Havdori "For someone who is not a true Jedi Master, you have proven yourself in skill, Sitra. And Master K'Kruhk; I can see why Kota thinks highly of you, you a true Jedi Master"

"If you're trying to belittle us, it isn't working" said K'Kruhk

"We'll see soon enough" said Havdori. At that moment, Urai leapt up and kicked down onto K'Kruhk.

"Who are you?" asked K'Kruhk.

"Urai Fen" replied Urai "And you have trespassed on an operation"

"Sorry about that" said K'Kruhk sarcastically "But stand aside, this is our business" Urai merely posed his blades for battle. "I don't wish to make anymore enemies today, but neither can I back down now" Urai charged at him and the two clashed blades. "Your blades, they're—"

"They are indestructible, your lightsaber cannot harm them" said Urai.

 _Meanwhile_

"Look how many there are" said one of the rebel troopers as they examined the weapons.

"I bet one shot and this whole ship would go up in a flash" said another rebel trooper.

"We're certainly not going to try that" said Covfaul "Alright; we've had a good look around, now we have to return to the mission"

"And what mission would that be?" said a voice. Cadfurew arrived into the storage room atop a repulsorlift with several security droids. Covfaul and the other rebel troopers pulled out their blasters and aimed them at the Hutt and his security droids, who aimed their blasters at them as well. "Now, now; there's no need for a firefight like this, especially in the room we're in"

"Which has only placed you on the harder side of the situation" said Covfaul "We have a clear shot at you, but you can't shoot us without shooting the weapons"

"That's why I instructed my droids to open fire on you and the weapons should I die" said Cadfurew "If I'm going down, I'll take you all down with me"

"You wouldn't!" said Covfaul.

"What's to lose if I'm already dead?" said Cadfurew "This is more than simple stalemate, the cards are in my hands"

"Not yet" said a voice. Cadfurew turned his head around and saw Leia holding a blaster at him with Han.

"How did you get out?!" snapped Cadfurew.

"Thank your bounty hunter" said Leia "You should really pay them better"

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here!" snarled Cadfurew.

"I was planning on leaving, but then I saw you harassing my troops" said Leia as she slowly positioned herself around the Hutt. Cadfurew smirked.

"Most ill decisions are based off good intentions" said Cadfurew "You've only dragged yourself back into this now"

"We'll see about that" said Leia. She pulled the lid off a crate and revealed the bomb inside.

"What are you doing?!" snarled Cadfurew.

"I listened in, this crates contain doomsday weapons" replied Leia "So what does this one do?"

"You're joking" said Cadfurew. Leia pointed her blaster towards the bomb. "You…You can't be serious!"

"What if I am?" said Leia.

"You're crazy!" snapped Cadfurew "That is a gravity bomb, it will implode everything around it; and if you set it off, you'll set all the other ones off as well" After several intense seconds, Leia started the bomb. "You fool! You've killed us all! Once the bomb starts, it cannot be stopped"

"Then I guess you'd better start running" said Leia. She shot at his repulsorlift several times until it shut down and collapsed. "C'mon, everyone; let's go!" She and the others ran out of the storage room in a hurry with the security droids shooting at them.

"Don't worry about them!" snapped Cadfurew "Just get me out of here!"

 _Meanwhile_

As Boushh regained consciousness, he looked over and saw the rebel troopers running down the corridor before him. Immediately, he grabbed his helmet and ran off down the corridor.

 _Meanwhile_

"I must say, you showed some real guts back there" said Han.

"Save it for later, Han; we're not out of this yet" said Leia. As they entered the hanger, they found Rachi Sitra and K'Kruhk still dueling with Havdori and Urai.

"Leia!" said Sitra.

"The ship's about to blow, we have to get out of here!" said Leia. Sitra and K'Kruhk leapt forward and force-pushed Havdori out of the way.

"Come on, let's get out of here" said Sitra. They quickly boarded the LAAT gunship and flew and were about to fly out of the hanger when Havdori got himself up and force-gripped the ship.

"We're not moving" said a rebel trooper.

"Something's up" said Han. K'Kruhk looked out and saw Havdori. He then looked over at a crate and force-pushed it over, knocking Havdori off his feet.

"Let's go, now!" said K'Kruhk. They flew out of the hanger and off towards _Home One_. As Urai watched them escape he turned and walked over to a TZ-15 shuttle. The moment he started it up, Havdori woke up and rushed over to it, just managing to sneak in through the hatch. But as he got in, Urai turned and pointed his blades at him.

"Stowing away, it seems" said Urai.

"This ship is about to be destroyed" said Havdori "Did you really expect me to stay behind? Besides, I am of good use to your organization"

"As Cadfurew told me; but while he is accepting of having a Dark Jedi in his midst, I am not so foolish" said Urai.

"You don't know who you're talking to!" snapped Havdori. He ignited his lightsaber and lunged at Urai; but as he did this, Urai dodged the blade, grabbed him by the wrist, and bashed him in the chest.

"You say that as if you're the first darksider I have encountered" said Urai. He gave Havdori a head-butt which knocked him unconscious. As Urai flew the shuttle off, Boushh ran into the hanger, got into his stolen pirate ship, and flew out.

"Time to get out of here!" said Boushh. He took off and flew out of the hanger. At that moment, Cadfurew and the security droids arrived in the hanger.

"My shuttle!" exclaimed Cadfurew "It's gone! Get me to the escape pods now!"

"Sir, the escape pods are far from here and they will land you on Nal Hutta" said one of the security droids "Do you still wish to proceed" Cadfurew looked back and forth between the corridor and the hanger before finally looking off down the corridor with a smirk.

"Doesn't matter!" smirked Cadfurew. Suddenly, the entire center part of the star destroyer imploded, taking most of the rest of the ship with it.

 _Later_

As Leia sat on her couch petting Cagney, Han walked over to her.

"Well, how're you feeling?" asked Han.

"Good, I didn't get too beat up back there" said Leia "How's 3PO?"

"He's still a little shell-shocked but he'll be fine" replied Han "So what was it you wanted to talk about back there?"

"About…oh, yeah, I remember" said Leia "It was…It was about…how you scared me"

"What do you mean scared…wait, is this about the whole pirate thing?" said Han "I only did it because of the situation we were in; there were only two of us, three if you count 3PO, and those pirates would have taken us with their numbers alone. I pretended to switch sides so the situation could be better; I know it didn't exactly turn out as a planned, but—"

"It's alright, I understand why you did it" said Leia "I guess I was just…for a moment I thought you had actually betrayed us"

"Do you really take me for some kind of backstabber?" said Han.

"Well…" said Leia.

"Hey Leia, look; I know I'm a smuggler and all, but I don't betray my allies" said Han "That's first and foremost for me"

"Well, that's good" said Leia "You know, Han; I think I may have been wrong about you. All this time, I thought—"

"Han!" said Corea as she entered the room and kissed him on the mouth "Great to see you back. So where were you?"

"Well, I was taking Leia and 3PO off to Duro but we got stranded on a moon" replied Han.

"Wow, sounds like a real bore" said Corea.

"Well…I suppose it was" said Han.

"C'mon, let's leave the Princess be" said Corea whilst pulling Han up and leaving the room with him. Leia sighed and leaned back on her couch.

 _Meanwhile_

"I wish we could have done more, but the situation made things difficult" said K'Kruhk.

"Are you sure he was onboard the ship when it was destroyed?" asked Kota.

"It was hard to make out any fleeing ships or escape pods; but last we saw him he was unconscious, which means he may not have walked out of this one" said Sitra

"What about this Urai Fen, who was he?" asked Kota.

"He was Talortai, a mysterious Force-sensitive race" replied Sitra "We don't know much about them other than they're hard to find"

"I am still curious as to how Cadfurew acquired all those ships; it seems he has powerful friends indeed" said Kota "And what was Sarke…I mean Havdori's connection to all of this? And why did he want the Alliance?"

"It would seem that whatever reasons he had died with him" said K'Kruhk.

 _Meanwhile on the Merciless_

As Havdori woke up, he found himself looking up at Urai Fen who was kneeling down at him.

"You're lucky that he says you can live" said Urai.

"You…What is this place?" asked Havdori.

"This is the _Merciless_ " replied Urai "The personal flagship for the head of my organization, the one who had me spare your life"

"And why did he?" asked Havdori as he got himself up.

"Because he thinks you might come to good use in time" replied Urai "I think differently however; if I had my way, I would decapitate you without a second piece of mercy" He placed his blade across Havdori's shoulder. "Fortunately for you, I'm respectful of his wishes" He drew his blade away.

"And for what use would he want me for?" asked Havdori.

"I told him that you were able to manipulate one side of this civil war" replied Urai "We're not involved in this conflict, but he found this intriguing nonetheless"

"And who is this leader of the organization you are talking about?" asked Havdori. Urai smirked and gestured over to the edge of the bridge, where a man dressed in a brown hooded coat and long white hair stood with his back turned to them.

"So you're the one Cadfurew told me about" said the man "Welcome to the Consortium, Havdori"

"Who are you?" asked Havdori.

"I am the founder and leader of this organization, the one Cadfurew would have told you about" replied the man. He turned around to reveal large scars across his face. "You may call me Tyber Zann"

 **Hellman76** : Seeing as how I've planned ahead most of the core plot of the series, it would be quite hard to fit it in. However, the Imperial family member idea intrigues me and I might be able to fit it into a tie-in of some sort.

 **Martin** : I like Aleenas; but I was thinking that since Tsui Choi and Kazdan Paratus were both Aleena Jedi Masters who survived Order 66 that I should do something different with Hom Ferm.


	16. Shadows of Hoth

**Author's note #1** : Hello everyone; sorry about the long delay, but I decided that it would be better to get the reconstructing over and done with before releasing more chapters just so things are a little more consistent. Sorry that it took longer than expected but I got caught up in a lot of events and even had strokes of depression and anxiety. But don't worry; now that things are over and done with, I'll release the chapters gradually every three days.

 **Author's note #2** : One last thing; K'Kruhk and Rachi Sitra will be replacing Tamu Opal and Jat Chai simply because I felt that already existing Jedi who survived the Great Jedi Purge would work better than ones I simply made up to get a real sense that there were very few Jedi left. Okay; that's the last retcon, no more changing things that have already happened. I know that the last few months have been difficult, but I just hope that we can put things aside and continue on to a bright and consistent future.

 **Shadows of Hoth**

 _Shortly after the destruction of the dreaded Death Star, a fierce fleet of star destroyers led by Darth Vader onboard the Executor blockaded the fourth moon of Yavin and forced the Rebel Alliance to abandon the base! Since then, a new base that is set to replace it as the pivotal frontline for the Alliance's assaults has been under construction on the remote ice world of Hoth, a planet deep within the Outer Rim!_

 _As the final stages of the base's construction are going underway, Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Han Solo go to inspect their new home…_

 _Hoth_

As the LAAT gunships flew down and landed on an icy plain near a large mountainside, Luke and Ahsoka got themselves out, wrapped up in cold weather gear to protect them from the icy winds and blizzard.

"That's it" said Luke whilst pointing over to a hanger that appeared to have been carved out of the slope "That's the new base"

"Seems quite an inhospitable place to an important outpost" said Ahsoka "Geez; even with all this gear on I'm feeling cold"

"It's not Tatooine, that's for sure" said Han.

"Why here?" asked Ahsoka "Aren't there plenty of tropical planets we could choose from?"

"Well; given the circumstances of this war, it's best if we place a stake in more inhospitable places" replied Luke.

"Yeah; plus, the Empire isn't interested in this place because it's out of their way and has no real resources and no major population" said Han as he stepped out, wearing a large blue parka "I mean, sure; there's Ortolans and Talz scattered in every so places, but they hardly counts as much as big places with big populations to manage. So they turn a blind eye" Chewbacca stepped out shivering and with his arms wrapped around himself with a snort. "I don't see why you're complaining; you're the one who's covered in fur, Chewie" Chewbacca groaned. At that moment, Corea stepped out dressed in full Mandalorian armor. "And you; you're armor covers every bit of yourself, including your face"

"You kidding?" said Corea whilst rubbing her hands over her helmet "I can't see a thing in this helmet 'cause it keeps frosting over"

"Then why not just take it off?" asked Han.

"And expose my face to the icy winds?" said Corea "No thank you"

"Oh; this is such a desolate place, R2" said C-3PO as he and R2-D2 stepped out "I don't see why Master Luke and Admiral Ackbar think this is a good place to put a base"

"3PO, we need somewhere to send assaults out on the Empire and it has to be somewhere barely populated so the Empire doesn't take notice" said Luke "It just so happens that this planet fit the bill" At that moment, several Alliance officers walked up over to them.

"Commander Skywalker; General Rieekan, I'm head of this operation" said the center officer "This is Major Bren Derlin and our chief communication officer Toryn Farr"

"Good to meet you, general" said Luke "How's construction going?"

"We're almost complete; but due to problems we've had with stability in the hanger, it's ill-advised to land in there just yet" replied Rieekan "That's why we're meeting out here"

"And when's the part where we actually go inside?" asked Corea.

"Right now, actually" said Derlin "Follow us, we'll explain everything else inside"

"That's quite a steep hill you got there" said Han "I mean, with the blizzard and all it might be a little difficult"

"Understood, Captain Solo" said Rieekan "Fortunately, we came prepared for such a situation. Bring out the Tauntauns" At that moment, a group of rebel troopers walked over with large wooly creatures that stood on two legs.

"What are these?" asked Ahsoka.

"They're tauntauns" replied Rieekan "Large reptomammals native to this planet; they're not very smart, but they're adapted to this environment and are easily domesticated. We use them as mounts since we're still trying to get our vehicles adapted to the cold. Hop on" Luke walked up to one and mounted himself on it with Ahsoka mounting the one next to it.

"Well; it's no speeder, that's for sure" said Ahsoka. As the two of them rode off towards the base, Han and Corea mounted another tauntaun with Chewbacca mounting the one next to them. Chewbacca sniffed his tauntaun and huffed.

"Wow, what another incredible smell you've discovered" said Han. They rode off towards the base and stopped in the hanger where various Alliance personnel and droids were doing maintenance work. As Luke and the others got off, a group of rebel troopers walked over to the tauntauns and took the tauntauns away by the reigns.

"Follow me, I'll take you to the command center" said Rieekan. Luke and Ahsoka followed him off down a corridor.

"Well…some base" said Han whilst pulling his parka down.

"Didn't they say it's not finished yet?" asked Corea as she pulled her helmet off.

"Well, yeah" replied Han "I mean; you don't just instantly create a base, especially on a planet like this" At that moment, a WED Treadwell repair droid accidently bumped into Chewbacca; who turned around and growled at it. "Woah, woah! Chewie, calm down; it didn't mean it. He turned towards the repair droid who beeped in response. "Um…my apologies, my companion is just a little grumpy because of the cold weather and such" The droid beeped again.

"Hmmm; my binary's a little rusty, but I think I was able to make out that he is WED-1015 droid" The droid beeped again. "Sorry; I meant 1016, but I think he also said that people just call him "Techie""

"Techie, huh?" said Han.

 _Meanwhile_

"Oh, leave us out in the cold with a foot tall layer of snow!" said C-3PO "Sometimes I wonder if they just want me out of the way" R2 beeped. "I'm not whining, R2; I'm just concerned about my wellbeing. If I spend too much time in extreme conditions, it will cause permanent damage to my circuitry" R2 beeped again. "This no joke, R2; terrible things like this happen to any droid if left exposed to—" At that moment, he bumped into someone. "Oh my!"

"What is this?" said the person he had bumped into. C-3PO looked up he found himself face-to-face with another 3PO-series protocol droid who looked exactly like him except he had white plating with two red dots on the top right side of his torso.

"Excuse me, but who would you be?" asked C-3PO.

"I am K-3PO, human-cyborg relations" replied the protocol droid.

"K-3PO?" said C-3PO "What kind of name is that?"

"What is your name?" asked K-3PO.

"I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations" replied C-3PO.

"I see no reason why you should be offended, that name has no more logic to it than K-3PO" said K-3PO "Why do you pride yourself?"

"Well, at least I have better plating" said C-3PO "Who in the right mind would give their protocol droid such an ugly white?"

"Your shiny gold plating is not safe from flaws; only makes damage and dust more obvious and brings out the worst in it" said K-3PO.

"How dare you!" said C-3PO "Unlike you who is stuffed away in some base, I'm meant for more important missions involving democracy; which is why I have to look my best, thank you very much"

"Given the nature of this war; logically, the work I do here is more important than the work you do" said K-3PO

"Logically?" said C-3PO "Now look who's all entitled and prided—" At that moment, R2 slid between them and beeped. "I'm just trying to prove a point, R2; there's no need to get involved" R2 beeped again.

"I would listen to your astromech droid" said K-3PO "He says more logic than you have"

"Oh; let's just go, R2" said C-3PO "We'll continue this later"

"It would better for both of us if it wasn't" said K-3PO. As C-3PO and R2 walked off, they passed by Luke and Ahsoka who were discussing things with Rieekan and Toryn.

"Along with the communication systems, weapon systems are now online as well" said Farr "And within a few weeks, we should get the shield fully working as well; and when that's up, it'll be able to repel any bombardment or laser blast. All of this should come in handy if we're ever attacked and need to make a quick escape"

"Knowing the Empire, they'll throw everything they've got at us if they discover the base" said Luke.

"Which is why we're always on high alert, Commander Skywalker" said Rieekan "We don't want to lose another crucial base; everyone still remembers about what happened on Yavin 4"

"And that was more than enough" said Luke. As Ahsoka clutched her arms, she walked up to Toryn.

"I was just wondering, are quarters available yet?" asked Ahsoka.

"Sure" replied Toryn "Do you wish to go there now?" Ahsoka nodded. "Melluun" She turned to a Chadra-Fan who was tinkering with bits and pieces on a stool. "Melluun" The Chadra-Fan shot up and squeaked before hopping down and walking over to them. "This is Meluun, he knows his way around the base. Take Ahsoka to her designated quarters" Meluun squeaked, grabbed Ahsoka by the hand, and started pulling her off down the corridor.

"Quite a gentleman" said Ahsoka. As the two of them went off down the corridor, Luke followed them.

"Ahsoka" said Luke. There was no reply. "Ahsoka?"

"What is it, Skyguy?" asked Ahsoka.

"Are you alright?" asked Luke.

"Yeah, I am" replied Ahsoka "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just you've been quieter than usual and I barely see you outside of Alliance business" replied Luke "I'm just worried"

"You don't have to be worried, Luke" said Ahsoka "It's nothing, just—" It was at that moment that they came across 2-1B who appeared to be operating on a dead tauntaun. "Well, that's not a pleasant sight"

"What are you doing with that tauntaun?" asked Luke.

"The Tauntaun is dead" replied 2-1B "I am performing autopsy on it"

"Do you know what happened to it?" asked Ahsoka.

"Unfortunately, it all leads to something very hostile; wampas, vicious ice creatures that are at the top of the Hoth food chain and feed upon tauntauns, among other things" replied 2-1B.

"Doesn't the base keep them out?" asked Luke.

"It's supposed to, but they are very adaptable and are able to get through almost anything" replied 2-1B "You need to remember, this planet has housed these creatures much, much longer before the galaxy ever discovered the planet; and without proper civilization, they've been able to grow in number unopposed. Currently, we're keeping tight security within the further in portions of the base. Now; if you'll excuse me, I have work to do" He went back to his autopsy

"Anyways, as I was saying; I'm fine, Luke" said Ahsoka "I just need a bit of rest"

"Ahsoka…" said Luke whilst reaching out and grabbing Ahsoka by the wrist "If you need to talk, you can always talk to me; you know that, right?"

"I know" replied Ahsoka. Meluun led her off further down the corridor. Luke couldn't help but heave a sigh.

 _Meanwhile_

"Well, seems once again we're left with the same position" said Han "We go to some place and while Luke and the others are off busy doing some Alliance stuff, we're left here with nothing"

"Ever thought of getting involved with the Alliance a little more so you at least have some reason to attend those meetings?" said Corea.

"Yeah, and sit through some whole procedure on how things are supposed to work" said Han "I've been working with ships and technology for a long time now, I know how things work" Chewbacca grunted. "Well, at least it's not as cold in here as it is outside. I wouldn't be caught dead out there"

"I have a feeling few people have that choice" said Corea.

"Captain Solo" said Derlin as he walked up to Han.

"Yeah, what is it?" asked Han.

"We have a job for you, Captain Solo" replied Derlin "We send out regular tauntaun patrols to monitor any potential activity that could discover the base or be a threat to it"

"Like Imperials?" said Han.

"Perhaps" said Derlin "Do you accept?"

"Sure, beats anything else I've got going" replied Han.

"Meet us in hanger bay 7" said Derlin.

 _Meanwhile_

Meluun brought Ahsoka to the doors to some quarters and squeaked whilst pointing at it.

"This is the one?" said Ahsoka. Meluun nodded his head and squeaked more. "Thank you" She opened the door and stepped inside. She took a good look around before slouching down against the wall. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Come in" Luke entered. "Luke…"

"Ahsoka, I think we need to talk" said Luke.

"I'm fine, Luke" said Ahsoka "I just need some rest and some…alone time"

"Ahsoka, I know you too well" said Luke "Something's eating you, isn't it?"

"I said I'm fine, Luke" said Ahsoka "You don't have to worry"

"No, I am worrying" said Luke whilst kneeling down to her "It's about your family, isn't it?" Ahsoka remained silent. "Ahsoka, if you're uncomfortable talking about it now I understand; but you can't be like this forever—"

"I know, I understand" said Ahsoka "It's just…they lied to me, Luke; they're not my parents. My real father's dead and I'll never know who my mother is"

"Ahsoka, they're still you're family" said Luke "Besides, isn't the guilt they feel punishment enough?"

"Luke, I appreciate your concern; but I just need some space at the moment" said Ahsoka. Luke nodded and stood himself up.

"Just remember, you're going to have to approach them some time" said Luke.

"They're not my parents, period" said Ahsoka.

"My aunt and uncle weren't my parents either, but they were still family" said Luke. As he exited the room, Ahsoka felt a great pang of guilt and confusion over her. But it was very soon forgotten by a faint disturbance within the Force.

 _Meanwhile_

Han saddled himself onto a tauntaun.

"Alright; the blizzard's easing up now, but our forecast's say that it should be returning soon" said Derlin "Regular patrols are one standard hour each, but come back if the temperate starts dropping towards the extreme"

"I'm sure it will be fine" said Han.

"I'm serious" said Derlin "Even tauntauns can't survive the lowest temperate of this planet"

"Got it" said Han.

"Good luck" said Derlin. As he left, Corea walked up to Han.

"Looks pretty windy out there" said Corea "You sure it's going to stay that way for long?"

"Corea, you don't have to use small talk to say you're concerned" said Han.

"I know, I know" said Corea. She activated her jetpack up to Han and pecked him on the mouth

"You know, quite a few people just had a clear view of that" said Han.

"Let 'em look" smirked Corea "And don't forget to get back here safe"

"Will do" said Han. He rode off out of the hanger and into the blizzard that lay ahead.

 _Meanwhile on the Executor_

Darth Vader watched as Emerl Hatana trained against various holodroids disguised as Jedi.

"There!" said Hatana as she finished off the last holodroid and turning her lightsabers off "How's that?"

"Try it again" replied Vader.

"What?!" snapped Hatana "This was the fifth routine today; it's not even at my current level!"

"Try it again" said Vader. He turned to the door

"Why?!" snapped Hatana "It's been ages now, I haven't been on the frontline since you pulled me out. Tell me, why are you keeping me back here?" Vader turned to leave. "Don't walk off like that! Tell me; and give me a straight answer" Vader stopped and turned around.

"When I first brought you into this war, Emerl, I believed you to be ready; but given what I have witnessed of late, I see now that I was misguided"

"Mis…Misguided!?" snapped Hatana "Are you kidding me!? What are you even talking about?"

"Your decisions lately have been very poor and they have cost us dear" replied Vader.

"How?" asked Hatana.

"I knew what you were doing during the Oba Diah incident; while I was at the trial making sure everything went according to plan, you snuck off to Yavin 4 to find Ru-Thire" said Vader.

"How did you—" said Hatana.

"MOXAL kept a close eye on you the whole time" said Vader "He informed me of everything, including the Jedi who followed you straight to my Inquisitor. Why did you even go there; was it some desperate attempt to prove yourself or something else entirely?"

"I…I only went looking for him because I thought he could help us" replied Hatana.

"He was already helping me" said Vader "I had sent him there to find a Jedi Holocron that I had located; I didn't send a full party because I didn't wish the Emperor learning of it. If I had wanted him on the frontlines with us, I would have already informed him. Now, because of your actions; not only have I lost the holocron, but Ru-Thire as well"

"The Jedi were the ones who killed him" said Hatana.

"You lead them there" said Vader "All you achieved was destroying one of my greatest assets; Ru-Thire was fiercely loyal to me, and we need as many exclusively loyal to us if we wish to overthrow the Emperor"

"Why do you always make such a big deal of this?" said Hatana "He's just an old man in a robe"

"Do not underestimate the Emperor" said Vader "Darth Sidious is one of the most powerful Force-users in the galaxy, if not the strongest. One misstep and he'll have us both killed without a second thought"

"Like what, get some Imperial officer or stormtrooper to take us out?" smirked Hatana.

"You know all too well that there are many Force-sensitives in the Empire, many of whom are simply waiting for the right opportunity to take my place" said Vader "And it's not just them; generals, admirals, they all crave the position and power of Supreme Commander of Imperial military. You will continue your training until I deem it free of any faults" He turned to leave.

"I'll show you free of fault!" snapped Hatana. She ignited her lightsabers and leapt towards Vader, who turned around and ignited his lightsaber to block her attack. Hatana leapt back, force-gripped one of the training droids, and threw it at Vader who merely cut it in half. She leapt at Vader again to strike him but he merely force-pushed her away. As Hatana stood herself up, she shot out force-lightning which Vader merely blocked with his lightsaber. Hatana shot harder and harder but Vader slowly walked forward. As he approached her, she swung her lightsabers down which Vader blocked easily. He then force-pushed her back into a wall and summoned both her lightsabers to his hand. He ignited one of them along with his own and placed them towards her.

"Had this been the Emperor, you would be dead the moment you ignited your lightsaber" said Vader before turning the lightsabers off "This is why I put you through additional training routines now; because when we face the Emperor, it will take more than numbers on our side. We must be fully prepared to take him on"

"I…I understand" said Hatana as she bowed her head respectfully "What is thy bidding, my master?" Vader dropped both her lightsabers onto the floor in front of her.

"Continue training" said Vader "When I deem you ready to go back onto the frontlines, I will let you know" He turned and left. As he walked down the corridor, he began thinking about the day he had first brought Hatana into the Empire as his assassin, as well as secret apprentice. He had only recently lost his last Sith Apprentice, Galen Marek, to the very Emperor who he had planned to destroy. He knew that bringing on a new apprentice would only endanger himself further, even with the veil of assassin he had placed up to protect her; but in his own twisted way, he had wanted to fill a certain void that he had felt was lost to him. He had wanted someone to fill in the void of both an apprentice and a child figure, both things he had lost long ago. But the question remained; was he going to finally destroy his master this time, or would he have to lose yet another apprentice in a vain attempt that lead nowhere.

 _Meanwhile_

As Han rode out on his tauntaun, he stopped and looked out at the landscape with a pair of electrobinoculars.

"Solo to Echo Base, there's nothing so far that seems…hostile" said Han into his comlink.

"Keep looking, but remember to come back soon" said Derlin out of his comlink "Don't take chances with the blizzard"

"Got it" said Han. At that moment, he heard a scuffle coming from a large rock. "Hang on!" He pulled out his blaster.

"What is it?" asked Derlin. Han jumped off his tauntaun.

"I heard something" replied Han. He aimed his blaster at the rock and slowly walked towards it. "Going to investigate"

"Solo, be careful" said Derlin "The creatures on this planet can be very hostile, especially wampas; those things can grow up to about three meters tall, their coats camouflage them against the Hoth landscape, and their strength is powerful enough to snap the neck of a tauntaun"

"Yes, I do know what a wampa is" said Han "Just let me handle this" He slowly and carefully approached the rock with great caution. Suddenly, a small ice scrabbler leapt out of the rock and scurried off. "Geez!"

"Solo, what happened?" said Derlin "Captain Solo, what just happened?"

"It's alright, just an ice scrabbler" replied Han.

"We've got plenty of those back at Echo Base" said Derlin.

"Right" said Han "I'll be on my way" He mounted his tauntaun again and rode off again; unaware that something watched him from the rocks and snarled.

 _Meanwhile_

Two rebel troopers walked deep through the corridors of Echo Base. As they walked along, one of them almost shot their reflection in some ice on the wall.

"Careful, this part of the base can be quite unstable" said the other rebel trooper.

"I know, I got the whole briefing from Derlin" said the other rebel trooper.

"Just remember to take caution" said the first rebel trooper "We're supposed to note down any possible problems that should get fixed up"

"I got that at the briefing as well" said the second rebel trooper.

"Just stay on alert" said the first rebel trooper "You won't believe the things that are on this planet" At that moment, they arrived to a large crack in the ground up ahead.

"Well, that's something isn't it" said the second rebel "I wonder what's inside" He ran over to the crack and looked into it.

"Get away from that!" said the first rebel trooper "You don't know what's inside!" The second rebel trooper looked back up at him.

"There's nothing in there" said the second rebel trooper. At that moment, a large wooly, white arm with claws erupted from the crack and pulled him down into the crack screaming.

"NO!" said the first rebel trooper. He pulled out his blaster and aimed it at the crack as he slowly stepped away from it. "Derlin, I've found something. It's a crack in the ground, and I think—" At that moment, a pair of large yellow eyes opened up from the crack and something large lunged right out. "AHHHH!"

 _Meanwhile_

"Hello?" said Derlin into his comlink "Hello? Oh no!" He turned to Corea and Chewbacca. "You two, I need a group of troopers assembled together and tell them to meet outside the tauntaun pen. Do you think you can do that?"

"Consider it done, major" said Corea whilst doing a mock salute. She and Chewbacca walked off.

 _Meanwhile_

Vader enter a room where MOXAL projected a hologram of the Emperor.

"What is thy bidding, my master?" said Vader.

"Lord Vader, I have a request for you" said the Emperor "Over the past few months, my scientists have been developing a new formula"

"You're referring to the new microbionics serum?" said Vader.

"Yes, that is right" said the Emperor "If properly produced, the host could transform themselves at will. Think of it, an army of living weapons destroying everything in their path; neither the Rebellion nor the Jedi could stop them"

"I thought the serum was imperfect" said Vader.

"It was, but I have been given confirmation that they believe it to be improved upon such imperfection" said the Emperor "There is however one drawback; so far, the test subjects have died from exhaustion before they could be calmed down. They are clearly too weak; that is why I suspect a Force-sensitive to be better suited for it, we need only testing to be sure"

"Do you wish me to retrieve a Jedi for you, master?" asked Vader.

"No, such an action would be a little too complicated and unnecessary for my liking" replied the Emperor "Fortunately, there is a simpler route out of this"

"What are you implying?" asked Vader.

"Your assassin, Emerl Hatana, would be suitable for such a task" replied the Emperor "She is much, much easy to get to"

"My lord, are you sure this is wise?" asked Vader.

"Forming attachments, Vader?" said the Emperor.

"Not at all, I am merely pointing out that it is unnecessary" said Vader "What if it fails? Wouldn't she be much more useful to us alive?"

"I see no reason why you should fret about it" said the Emperor "Unless, of course, you have specific plans for her that I was not aware of? Plans on having her be more than just an assassin?" There was a short silence.

"When is the surgery scheduled?" asked Vader.

"The crew should be arriving to your ship shortly" replied the Emperor.

"I will incapacitate her for them" said Vader.

"Good" said the Emperor.

 _Meanwhile_

Derlin, Corea, Chewbacca, and a group of rebel troopers walked through the hallway quietly.

"This is the last place we had contact from them" said Derlin "Keep your eyes peel for a large crack in the ground"

"Uh, I think I have a pretty healthy head start" said Corea. She pointed down the hallway at the crack in the ground, which now appeared to have been ripped wide open.

"Watch your step" said Derlin as they cautiously approached the crack "Whatever caused this could still be around" Chewbacca walked up close to the crack and sniffed it, before pointing at it and growling. "What is he saying?"

"He says that he smells rotting meat down there and…something else entirely" replied Corea.

"In that case, we have to take extra precaution" said Derlin "We'll set up the necessary equipment and then enter it to see where it leads" But as he was talking, a large hairy white ice creature with horns and claws rose up from the crack and swiped one of the rebel troopers out of the way.

"Watch out!" exclaimed a rebel trooper.

"Shoot it!" exclaimed Corea. The creature roared viciously and raised its claws again before all of them started shooting at it. Chewbacca roared viciously as he shot his bowcaster various times against its chest, which finished it off. The creature let out one last groan before collapsing and sliding back into the crack where it came from.

"There's no doubt about it" said Derlin "That was a wampa"

 _Meanwhile_

Hatana entered a small room where Vader stood before her.

"You wanted to see me, master?" asked Hatana. Vader didn't reply. "What is it?" Vader looked over at a small needle full of liquid on a nearby table, force-gripped it, and carefully aimed it at Hatana. "What is it?" Vader struck the dart straight into her arm. She desperately pulled it out, but by then the liquid had already gone into her and was coursing through her. "Master…" She fell to her knees and fell unconscious.

"She is unconscious now, you can come in" said Vader. A pair of Imperial riot troopers stepped in, grabbed Hatana by the wrists, and pulled her out of the room. They brought her to a medical chamber where they placed her on a slab, locked her wrists and ankles up, and strapped her in. A group of surgeons stepped in. As Vader watched their work from the other end of a glass window, MOXAL walked up to him while projecting a hologram of the Emperor.

"Good work, Lord Vader" said the Emperor "And don't worry; if it fails, we'll just find you a replacement" Vader turned to the chief surgeon.

"Doctor, inform me if she survives" said Vader.

"Yes my lord" said the chief surgeon. Vader turned and left.

 _Meanwhile_

Derlin, Corea, Chewbacca, and two rebel troopers had hooked themselves to cables which they had fixed to the ground.

"Watch those cables" said Derlin "They could be our only way back"

"Keep watch of the cables, got it" said Corea. They cautiously walked into the crack which led them to a large cavern-like ice tunnel. "Well, I guess here it goes" They cautiously walked in further.

"If we see anything that might be a wampa, run" said Derlin "And when you shoot at it, try to aim carefully; enough blaster fire and we'll all be buried, especially if with that bowcaster" Chewbacca huffed.

"Chewie's very fond of that thing" said Corea "Believe me; it's less problematic if we took both of them"

"Well, make sure you aim well" said Derlin. As they walked more and more through the tunnel, the temperate dropped tremendously.

"Brrr; can feel the cold even with my armor on" said Corea.

"We're underground and getting further and further away from the base's heating" said Derlin.

"I still don't see why we have to go in like this; why can't we just block off the entrance or something?" asked Corea.

"We have to find where this tunnel leads to the outside world so we can close off the entrance there and stop them from ever coming back in" said Derlin. As they walked in further, Chewbacca sniffed the air and scoffed.

"What is it, Chewie?" asked Corea. She pulled off her helmet and sniffed the air but immediately covered her nose in disgust. "EHHH; I guess we now know where that rotting meat smell came from. But where's the rotting meat itself?"

"I think I may know" said Derlin whilst shining a torch up at the ceiling. Corea and Chewbacca looked up to see two frozen disembodied feet stuck up there.

"By the City of Bone!" said Corea "Well, I guess we know what happened to those two troopers we lost contact with"

"This doesn't make any sense" said Derlin.

"They got pulled down here and eaten by that wampa, end of story" said Corea.

"Not that" said Derlin "It hasn't been too long since they disappeared, that wampa back there couldn't have eaten them both by now"

"Maybe he ripped one of them off and put them someplace else" said Corea.

"No, he wouldn't one of them once placed; not like this" said Derlin "Wampas keep their prey alive and as uninjured as they can acquire so they stay warm and don't freeze"

"Maybe he was just an extra hungry wampa" said Corea.

"Or maybe he wasn't alone" said Derlin "It is not uncommon for wampas to hunt in packs if it suits them" At that moment, there was a faint growl down one of the tunnels ahead. Corea placed her helmet back on and everyone aimed their blasters towards the tunnel. "We'll head back now" The five of them ran back to the crack and pulled themselves back up. The moment a louder roar came from the crack, Corea pulled out a thermal detonator.

"Chew on this!" said Corea.

"Wait, don't!" said Derlin. Corea threw the detonator straight into the crack where it went off and caved in the crack.

"Oh yeah!" said Corea "You're not getting a bite of this girl today, wooly!"

"That was very dangerous and—" said Derlin.

"And it got the job done" said Corea "Problem, no more wampas in through that way. And besides; if any of them survived, they'd probably take days to dig out. Within that time, we'd have a great advantage over them"

 _Meanwhile_

As Han rode his tauntaun throughout the icy landscape, something looked down at him from the top of a pillar and snarled. Han stopped and looked around with his electrobinoculars.

"Well, I suppose that wraps up a simple reconnaissance" said Han "Well, better get back before it ices out here for me" As he was about to raise his comlink up, his tauntaun began to panic. "Woah, woah! Calm down, girl! What's wrong?" At that moment, a large pantran whitefang pounced down and knocked him right off the tauntaun and snarled. "Shoot!" He pulled out his blaster; and just as it leapt towards him, he shot it until it was dead. "Great!" He pulled himself back onto his tauntaun. "Better get out of here now" He rode off, unaware that three more whitefangs followed him. "Echo Base, this is Solo; do you read me?"

"What is it?" asked Derlin out of his comlink.

"Hey, I've finished my patrol and I'm on my way back now" said Han "But I have a slight problem, I think I just ran into one of the local wildlife"

"What was it?" asked Derlin.

"Why do you ask?" asked Han.

"Just tell me what it was" replied Derlin "Was it a wampa?"

"I think I would have known if it was a wampa" replied Han "No, it was some big white cat thing with a tuft on its tail. It leapt down at me, but I killed it"

"Oh no!" said Derlin "Are you riding your tauntaun now?"

"Of course I am" replied Han "Why?"

"Han, you have to go faster" said Derlin.

"Why?" asked Han.

"The thing you encountered is—" replied Derlin. Han heard a loud growl and turned to see the three other whitefangs chasing after him.

"Really fast?" said Han.

"What, how…what's happening?" asked Derlin.

"Turns out he had some friends he invited to dinner" replied Han.

"Solo, try to go faster" said Derlin "If these things catch you, you're dead"

"You think?" said Han "C'mon, let's go faster!" He rode off faster and faster but the whitefangs caught up to him and continuously swiped their claws towards him. "Oh; so that's the way you want to play, huh?!" He pulled his blaster out again and began shooting them, but they were too fast and avoided the shots easily. "Damn!" At that moment, one of the whitefangs leapt up and pulled him off. As Han rolled on the ground and pulled himself up, he looked over his tauntaun running. "You've got to be kidding me!" At that moment, the whitefangs turned towards him and approached him snarling. "Easy kitty! Believe me, you don't want—" As he stepped back, he accidently slipped into a crevice and fell down it. One of the whitefangs leapt forward and clawed down towards, only to find that he was out of reach.

 _Meanwhile_

Two rebel troopers carefully guarded the rubble that blocked out the crack in the cooridor and watched it carefully. When a small pebble rolled off, one of them aimed their blaster at it.

"Careful, save it if there's something worth worrying about" said the other rebel trooper. At that moment, another pebble rolled off.

"Is it just me or is this starting to get quite intense?" asked the other rebel trooper.

"Relax, we're just here to report something if—" said the first rebel trooper shortly before the debris started pushing out.

"That isn't good" said the second rebel trooper. At that moment, the debris burst out and over a dozen wampas crawled out to attack them. The second rebel trooper shot continuously at them whilst the first one hid behind the corner.

"Major Derlin, we're under attack by wampas!" said the first rebel trooper "They've broken through and they're—" He was pulled away by the wampas.

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka sat on her bed meditating. As she cleared her mind, she began to hear a familiar voice.

" _Ahsoka…"_

Ahsoka shook her head in irritation.

" _Ahsoka…"_

Ahsoka opened her eyes to see a familiar sight before her.

"Daughter, what is it?" asked Ahsoka.

"I have come with news, Ahsoka" replied the Daughter "The dark power is growing each day, I can feel it right now. But with lots and lots of meditation, I have finally triangulated its coordinates"

"Where is it?" asked Ahsoka.

"It is somewhere deep within the Outer Rim" replied the Daughter "That is all that I have found"

"Are you sure?" asked Ahsoka "I mean, that doesn't really narrow things down at all"

"I am sorry" replied the Daughter "There is only so much I can find from periods of meditation. I will dedicate my time from here on to meditate further and find out more; but it will take time, time that the dark power could use to increase"

"Then what are we supposed to do then?" asked Ahsoka "Just stand by and let the galaxy be destroyed? Surely there's something you can do about it, isn't there?"

"I am afraid that without a physical form I powerless, I have only just managed to find communication with you" replied the Daughter "But I have thought about it over and over again, and there might be a way. Our connection has been intriguing me further; just give me a little more time and I might find to use this connection to merge us together"

"Merge?" said Ahsoka.

"I would have control of your body along with my powers, thus enabling me to fight this darkness" said the Daughter "But I'm not entirely sure of what else it could do; that is why I am wary"

"Then what are we going to do then?" asked Ahsoka.

"Give me time" replied the Daughter "I'll contact you when I think I've found something" She disappeared just before Luke entered in a hurry.

"Ahsoka, come on!" said Luke.

"What is it?" asked Ahsoka. Suddenly, the lights went out. "And does it have something to do with that?"

"They must have gotten to the power" said Luke.

"Who has?" asked Ahsoka.

"We're under attack" replied Luke.

"By what, Imperials?" asked Ahsoka.

"Not Imperials" replied Luke.

"Then what is it?" asked Ahsoka.

"C'mon, I'll explain on the way" replied Luke. She stood up and followed Luke out of the room and down the corridors.

"Not to spoil the surprise, but what exactly are we facing?" asked Ahsoka.

"Some ice creatures got into the base and they're causing lots of havoc" replied Luke.

"By some, do you actually mean—" asked Ahsoka. They reached the hanger bay where the wampas were swarming and the rebel troopers were fighting back.

"I mean a lot, yes" replied Luke.

"That's a lot of wampas" said Ahsoka "What are we going to do now?"

"We'll hold off" said Luke whilst igniting his lightsaber "Right now, it looks like it's just us and those things"

"Right" said Ahsoka whilst igniting her lightsaber "It's going to be a long evening"


	17. Wampa Assault

**Wampa Assault**

 _Attack on Echo Base! Whilst visiting the new secret base on the planet Hoth, the rebels found an entrance that lead underground to ice cave filled with wampa ice creatures! After sealing off the entrance, the Alliance thought that they were out of it; only to find that the beasts were able to break through and are now overrunning the base violently!_

 _Meanwhile, Han Solo, who was sent on a patrol, has been attacked by other beasts and only just escaped them! But without a mount or a clear way out, can he return to base or will he perish out in the icy winds…_

 _Hoth_

"Stand back!" yelled Corea. She threw a thermal detonator at the wampas but they managed to duck behind vehicles just before it exploded. "Those things just don't kill you guys, do they?"

"Do us a favor and try not to destroy our vehicles" said Derlin.

"I'll keep that in mind next time we're under attack by a deadly force that wants to kill us" said Corea sarcastically.

"Stay on task, guys" said Luke as he fought back against the wampas "We have to get these things out of here" Ahsoka force-lifted a crate and threw it over at a wampa which knocked it over.

"These furballs play tough, don't they?" said Corea.

"No kidding about that" said Ahsoka. Suddenly, a wampa slashed forward, killing several rebel troopers before lunging at Luke. He pounced on Luke; but as he did this, he was stabbed in the chest by the blue blade of his lightsaber and collapsed on top of him. "Luke!" She and Corea ran over to Luke and pulled the wampa off him. "You alright?"

"A little crushed, but still good" said Luke.

"What was it like?" asked Corea as she and Ahsoka helped him up.

"Can you imagine how heavy they might be from the way they look?" asked Luke.

"Yep" replied Corea.

"It's more than that" said Luke. At that moment, a wampa leapt up onto a Y-Wing and roared at them viciously.

"Incoming!" said Corea. Luke and Ahsoka threw their lightsabers at it and stabbed it in the chest. The wampa collapsed onto the cockpit of the Y-Wing.

"How many are there?" asked Ahsoka.

"I'm not sure, they just keep coming and coming" replied Luke.

"This is one heck of a pack" said Corea as the wampas began to overrun them. Whilst firing his bowcaster, Chewbacca looked over at a T-47 airspeeder near him, pulled up the cockpit, and entered it. He turned the airspeeder on and started firing away at the wampas. This was enough to scare them off and they ran off down the hallways. "Well, that clears everything up"

"Are they really gone?" asked Ahsoka.

"Not quite" said Derlin "There are still wampas spread across the base. I've got squads guarding the tauntaun pens but this means that we're stretched thinner across the rest of the base, and they need our help dealing with these things"

"So why are the wampas attacking anyway?" asked Corea "I mean, they can't all be **this** hungry, even for storage"

"There are few visitors to this planet" replied Derlin "They must be viewing us as intruders that they need to clear away"

"Then what's our next move?" asked Luke.

"General Rieekan and a few other personnel are held up in the command center" replied Derlin "They've informed me that our communications to the rest of the Alliance has been severed in the attack; it looks like we're on our own here. Commander Skywalker, Commander Tano, Corea, Chewbacca; I want you to go there to prepare our next move. The troopers and I will stay here to hold the hanger in the meantime"

"Will do" said Luke "C'mon, let's go" He, Ahsoka, Corea, and Chewbacca walked off down the corridor.

 _Meanwhile_

Han awoke in the middle of an ice cave and looked around.

"Woah!" said Han. He looked up at the crevice he had fallen down and noticed that the whitefangs were still growling at him. "Well, down here's certainly more desirable than up there. Derlin, do you read me?" There was only static. "Derlin? Major Derlin?"

"Solo, is that you?" asked Derlin out of his comlink.

"You bet" replied Han.

"What happened between you and the pantran whitefangs?" asked Derlin.

"So that's what those things are called" said Han "Well; right now I'm out of their reach, if that's what you mean. But here comes the bad news; I'm stuck in some sort of ice cave, my tauntaun ran off, and those whitefangs seem really determined to get down here. And I'm really determined to get out of here; any chance of a pickup?"

"I'm afraid that we're preoccupied at the moment" replied Derlin.

"Preoccupied?" said Han "With what?"

"The base is currently under attack by wampas and we're running on limited backup power" replied Derlin "We have our hands too full at the moment"

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" asked Han.

"The cave you're in, are there any bones or remains of some sort?" asked Derlin. Han looked around.

"None that I can see" replied Han.

"And do you still have your blaster on you?" asked Derlin. Han looked down at the blaster on his belt.

"Yep" replied Han.

"Try to stay in the cave until the storm passes" said Derlin "Stay on guard; wampas and whitefangs aren't the only dangerous creatures on this planet. We'll try to locate you when we get things back on track

"Right" said Han "Just stay in the cave, careful they're could be something in it. Eh, who am I kidding; I'm just lucky to still be in one piece" At that moment, the whitefang that was gnawing at the entrance let out a snarl. "Don't be getting any ideas, there's no way in Hoth that you're getting in here. And even if you did, I'll just shoot you" At that moment, he got a brief glimpse of something brown that scurried off before he could even get a clear view of it. "Uh, hello?" Nothing happened. "Well, at least I know I'm not alone down here" He walked off down the tunnel.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke, Ahsoka, Corea, and Chewbacca cautiously walked through the corridors towards the command center, hearing the wailing roars of wampas along the way.

"So how much farther?" asked Corea.

"I think it's just up ahead a bit more" replied Luke. As they walked along, a wampa slowly snuck up behind them. Chewbacca sniffed the air and started growling and complaining.

"Jeez, Chewie; stop thinking of your nose and stay focused on the missions, already!" said Corea. Chewbacca pointed behind them and started growling.

"What is…oh…" said Ahsoka before she and the others quickly realized the wampa that was behind them. The wampa let out a loud growl and raised its claw to swipe them down. Corea and Chewbacca started shooting it until it was dead and collapsed onto the ground in front of them. "I can see what Chewie was talking about, that things' breath does smell like rotting meat"

"We'd better note it down; don't ever doubt Chewie's sense of smell ever again" said Corea.

"C'mon, it's just up ahead" said Luke. They walked up over to the command center and Ahsoka knocked on the door that lay before them.

"Commander Skywalker, is that you at the door?" asked Rieekan through Luke's comlink.

"It is, general" replied Luke into his comlink "We're here to help" The doors opened up.

"C'mon in, quickly!" said Rieekan. Luke, Ahsoka, Corea, and Chewbacca rushed in just before the door closed behind them.

"Master Luke, so good to see that you're safe!" said C-3PO.

"Good to see you too, 3PO" said Luke. R2 beeped.

"R2 and I were so worried when we heard about the creature attack" said C-3PO "We were concerned that you may have been hurt"

"So why's power up here and not at the rest of the base?" asked Ahsoka.

"The backup power kicked in a few minutes ago" replied Toryn "Certain rooms like here, the living quarters, the medical center, and the tauntaun pen are connected to it in case of an emergency such as this. But they'll only last us one and a half rotations so we'd better make the most of what we have"

"Skywalker, I've heard reports of people being attacked by wampas throughout the base" said Rieekan "If we let this continue, those things will send us back months; and that I can't allow"

"Then what's next?" asked Luke.

"We'll start by blocking off the entrance entirely" replied Rieekan.

"We already tried that, didn't work as planned" said Corea.

"Then we'll do better this time" said Rieekan "Head to the opening and cave the tunnels in entirely so nothing can get in"

"And what about the wampas still in the base?" asked Luke.

"We'll deal with that afterwards" replied Rieekan "First we'll make sure that no more can come in"

 _Meanwhile_

As Han walked through the tunnels, he found himself at a small clearing.

"Well, this doesn't help my situation much" said Han to himself. At that moment, he heard a small scuffle. "Hey, is there anyone in here?" He slowly pulled out his blaster. "'Cause if anyone's in here, I hope you're friendly; for your sake" At that moment, a rock flew out and hit him at the back of the head knocking him over. "Ow…" Before he could even react, something leapt onto his back and pinned him down. "This day isn't getting any better any soon" What stood on top of him punched him out and then pulled him away.

 _Meanwhile_

Corea pulled out several explosive charges and attached them to her belt.

"Careful with those" said Rieekan "They're very powerful"

"They're also very handy if you want to cave something in" said Corea.

"Just take care with them" said Rieekan "Only place a few of them and make sure you get out before setting them off"

"Got it" said Corea. Chewbacca pulled out some cables, growled, and showed it to the others.

"Good idea" said Ahsoka "It should be a maze down there so we'll have to find our way back up" Chewbacca growled again.

"Alright, I guess this is us settled" said Luke "We'd better head off. C'mon everyone" As he, Ahsoka, Corea, and Chewbacca left the room, R2 beeped.

"Do take good care, Master Luke" said C-3PO. "I would just fret if something happened to you"

"Will do, 3PO" said Luke.

"We'll stay here and hold the command center while you deal with the wampas" said Toryn "Good luck out there"

"Yeah, we'll sure need it" said Corea. They walked out of the command center.

"So Corea; since you've been there, do you think you could guide us?" asked Luke.

"With pleasure" replied Corea "It's just this way" They walked down the hallway.

 _Meanwhile_

Han slowly regained consciousness. As he slowly opened his eyes, he realized that he was tied up to a large icy stalagmite. He tried to wriggle free but found that it was more difficult that had thought.

"Oh boy!" said Han to himself. At that moment, something hit him across the face with a rock. "What the—" He looked over to see a small brown furry creature with a long snout snarling at him. "Woah; I've really put my foot into it this time, haven't I?" The creature began growling and snarling at him again. "Excuse me, can you speak Basic?" The creature looked confused. "Bas-ic? As the language used across the galaxy, the one that pretty much every one collectively knows about, the one that I'm speaking at the moment; y'know, Basic" The creature still didn't reply. Han sighed and looked over at the other small furry creatures in the cave. "This is going to take long, isn't it?"

 _Meanwhile_

As Rieekan and Toryn waited in the command center, there was a strange scratching against the door.

"What's that?" asked C-3PO.

"Trouble" replied Toryn as she grabbed her blaster.

"Seems the wampas finally decided to come in" said Rieekan as he reached for his blaster. R2 beeped.

"This is bad" said C-3PO.

"We can't distract them from their mission" said Rieekan "We'll need someone else. Toryn, can you contact Derlin and his men?"

"Will do" replied Toryn. She pulled out her communicator.

 _Meanwhile_

"Major Derlin, this is Toryn Farr; do you read me?" asked Toryn out of Derlin's comlink.

"Affirmative" replied Derlin "What's the problem?"

"The command center is under attack by wampas" replied Toryn "We need assistance with it. Can you spare some forces for us?"

"I'll do my best" replied Derlin "You six, with me; the command center's under attack and we need to help them. The rest of you, hold the fort until we come back. If any more wampas come in, you know what to do"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke, Ahsoka, Corea, and Chewbacca walked through the hallways and reached the crack.

"It's a whole lot bigger than when I last saw it" said Corea.

"At least it will mean we'll have more space to enter and exit" said Ahsoka.

"C'mon, let's do this" said Luke. He connected the cables up to them, tied to over a railing, and walked down into the cave with the others.

"Better keep our lightsabers off" said Ahsoka "Those things produce a lot of heat, enough to melt away the ice"

"That I can definitely agree with" said Luke.

 _Meanwhile_

Vader and MOXAL entered the medical chamber where the surgeons were gathered around the slab.

"Show me the results" said Vader.

"Lord Vader, you'll be pleased to know that the surgery was indeed a success" said the chief surgeon. He pulled out a remote and pressed it, causing the slab to ascend upwards. Hatana was still strapped to the slab and was still unconscious, but she had changed physically; her skin which was once stunning green was now silver with dark grey markings over her. "We have successfully implanted the formula within her system and she has so far survived it longer than previous test subjects. Her vitals are stable and her body doesn't appear to be rejecting the foreign substance. But I think we need to wait until she wakes up to see for sure"

"What happened to her skin color?" asked Vader.

"It is merely an aspect of the form she is currently in" replied the chief surgeon.

"What do you mean "form"?" asked Vader.

"In theory, the subject should be able to turn back and forth between their "normal" form and their "more powerful" form at will" replied the chief surgeon "Of course, we wouldn't fully know because the subjects never survive long enough for us to see their true potential. But hopefully, this will be an exception; after all, the Emperor himself seems very confident that her "condition" will prove effective"

"Do not talk of Force-sensitivity as if it's a deformation, doctor" said Vader "The Emperor thinks otherwise"

"My apologizes, my lord" said the chief surgeon "I was merely unsure on how to phrase it; I mean, it is hard for me to—"

"It is understandable, doctor" said Vader "You are a man of science and I do not imagine that you could ever comprehend the very nature of the Force itself" He looked over at Hatana and noticed that her fingers were twitching slightly. As they twitched, her heart rate began spiking.

"Oh dear!" said the chief surgeon "Prepare paralyzers"

"No" said Vader "This is what we wanted, wasn't it? Let's see where it goes"

"Put paralyzers on standby" said the chief surgeon. As Hatana's fingers twitched more, they began to curl up into a ball. Suddenly, her eyes shot wide open; but they were had black sclera and red irises. Now awake; her head tendrils began blazing like fire and she began struggling, only being hindered by the chains and straps. "Oh dear! Paralyze her now!" The surgeons attempted to insert paralyzing liquids into her, but she let out a high pitch screen so powerful that it shattered all the glass in the room. She began struggling harder and harder while the surgeons attempted to pin her down. Suddenly, red energy began surging around her fingers. It travelled up her arms and throughout her whole body until she shot out powerful force-lightning, killing the surgeons around her and freeing her. As she stumbled back onto her feet, she looked over at the chief surgeon and hissed. "No, no!" He attempted to run away but she force-choked him to death and threw his corpse into the wall. At that moment, E7-3S and a group of stormtroopers arrived in the room and aimed their weapons at her.

"Stand down, attacker!" said a stormtrooper commander. Hatana pounced at him and electrocuted him. The other stormtroopers began opening fire on her but she dodged their shots and began killing them. She used force-lightning, force-choke, and even simply used her hands as well.

"Time to make roast!" said E7-3S as he charged up his flamethrowers, only for Vader to pull them down.

"No, we'll wait" said Vader. He stood by and watched as Hatana killed all of the stormtroopers. As soon as she was done with them, she turned towards Vader and hissed.

"Should I attack now?" asked E7-3S.

"No, leave this to me" replied Vader. Vader slowly walked over to her. "Hatana" Hatana didn't reply. "Hatana" Still no reply. "Emerl, calm down" Hatana shot force-lightning at him which pushed him back sometime.

"Now?" asked E7-3S.

"No, I said leave this to me!" snapped Vader. He slowly walked up to her, enduring the force-lightning as he went. "Emerl, calm down" He reached her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "It is me, remember?" Hatana's gaze softened.

"Father?" said Hatana. Her force-lightning stopped and she hugged him without a moment's hesitation.

"It is alright" said Vader "It is all right. It's over" As Hatana calmed down, her skin slowly turned back into her original green color.

 _Meanwhile_

Han cautiously looked over at the creatures and then back at his tied up arms, taking note of how loose the material was. He continued to look back and forth between them until he was convinced that they weren't watching him. He then slowly started raising himself up and the tying material with him. At that moment, one of the creatures noticed him and threw a rock at his forehead.

"Okay, you caught me!" said Han "But would it kill you just to make this place a little hospitable or something?" The creature that threw the rock started snarling and growling at him. "Alright, I forgot that you can't speak Basic; silly me!" He let out a sigh. "Seriously; is this how I go out, tied up and left at the mercy of little furry creatures? Can't it be something different?" The creature started growling again. "Well; you obviously understand that I'm saying something, don't you?" The creature began growling again. "Right! You'd think after years of Chewie and Shyriiwook, I would've gotten the hang with other languages; but it looks like it's more complex that I'd originally thought" At that moment, snarling was heard throughout the cave. The creatures started snarling and got into position around the cave. "You understood that well" At that moment, a whitefang leapt out and snarled. "Oh no!" The creatures began snarling again and started throwing rocks at the whitefang. Some of them leapt on top of it in an attempt to pull it down, but it was too fast and shook them off easily. Within the madness, Han was able to pull himself up over the stalagmite and pull the material off him. Suddenly, the whitefang noticed him, lunged forward, and slashed him in the back. "AHH!" The whitefang was about to lung again when the creatures swarmed over it and pulled it down. Han slowly pulled himself up with the use of a stalagmite and started limping away; making sure that he was out of sight. "Alright, better get out of here before—" At that moment, he tripped over a collection of rocks and fell out of the cave's entrance, tumbling down the snow covered hill. As he pulled himself up, he looked down at his blood in the snow. "Oh…boy…"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and the others walked through the caves carefully.

"It's getting colder in here" said Corea "We're in deep, literally"

"I just wish there was some way of knowing where we're heading" said Luke "We've been down searching through these tunnels and yet there's still no sign of the entrance"

"Well, I don't think we've explored all of these tunnels just yet" said Corea.

"I'm well aware of that, but we need to up our time table" said Luke "The longer we do this, the more wampas get into our base" At that moment, Ahsoka looked over at Chewbacca who's fur blew in the wind. She then pulled off her glove and licked her finger to see where the wind was coming from before running off in the direction it was coming from. "Hey, Ahsoka; wait!" He, Corea, and Chewbacca followed after her where they found her outside a cave entrance. "Ahsoka, how—"

"The gusts of wind from the blizzard, it came through from the entrance" said Ahsoka "Once I figured out where it was coming from…well, I think it's self-explanatory"

"Great job" said Luke.

 _Meanwhile_

"C'mon, Derlin; don't fail us now!" said Toryn.

"If he doesn't come in time, we'll have one heck of a fight on our hands" said Rieekan.

"We'll have one heck of a bloodbath on our hands" said Toryn.

"I don't like this, R2" said C-3PO "Perhaps we should have gone with Master Luke after all" R2 beeped again. "What are you talking about? I don't scream **that** much when we're in danger. It's only a little" R2 beeped. "Well; that was just being rude, my friend" He looked over at K-3PO who was hiding behind some crates. "And why are you hiding back there? Aren't you at least going to assist the rest of us?"

"I must survive, for the sake of the Alliance's future" replied K-3PO "I contain vital information that cannot be lost"

"Then why not just give it to an astromech droid then?" asked C-3PO.

"That is unnecessary" replied K-3PO "I just need to stay out of harm's way and avoid dangerous incidents"

"Well, I think you'll find that it's not that simple" said C-3PO. At that moment, the wampas began pulling the door open; you could now see their claws piercing through the gap that was forming. "Oh dear!"

"Steady!" said Rieekan "Take it easy. They're not through just yet"

 _Meanwhile_

Derlin and his men arrived outside the command center where the wampas were gathered and trying to pry open the door.

"Quickly, we have to stop them from getting into the command center" said Derlin. He and the other rebel troopers started shooting at the wampas, injuring the ones at the back immediately. The wampas turned around and lunged towards.

"Well, that attracted their attention" said a rebel trooper.

"Hold formation and fire!" said Derlin. They stood and continued shooting as the wampas attacked them. One of the wampas wacked a rebel trooper away who screamed out a Wilhelm scream. At that moment, the doors to the command center shot open and Rieekan and Toryn began shooting at the wampas as well. "Keep your distance, men; if they can't reach you, then—" At that moment, a wampa lunged forward and knocked Derlin off his feet. As Derlin desperately crawled back, the wampa raised its arm viciously ready to strike him down. Suddenly, R2 shot out his wire and it wrapped around the wampas wrist and pulled it back.

"R2, be careful" said C-3PO. Suddenly, the wampa pulled R2 with the wire and slammed him into the wall, screaming as he went. "R2!" He ran up to the wampa. "How dear you do that to R2-D2, you overgrown, wooly-brained—" At that moment, the wampa turned to C-3PO and growled. "Oh dear!" Suddenly, R2 activated his rocket boosters, flew up to the wampa, and zapped him. The wampa roared viciously before being shot to death by the rebel troopers. R2 beeped. "What…Oh yes, I knew that would work"

"That should be the last of them" said Derlin "Are you two alright?"

"We are, thanks to you" replied Rieekan.

"Major Derlin, come quick!" said a rebel trooper through Derlin's comlink.

"What is it?" asked Derlin into his comlink.

"The wampas are attacking us with full force in the hanger bay!" replied the rebel trooper "We need as many reinforcements as possible!"

"We'll be there in a minute, hold on until then" said Derlin.

"We'll come as well" said Toryn.

"Good" said Derlin "Where's Skywalker and the others?"

"They're currently off sealing the cave entrance and insuring that no more wampas can come in" replied Rieekan "It's best not to disturb them"

"Right" said Derlin "Droids…"

"Hmm?" said C-3PO.

"Stay here and stay out of sight" said Derlin "If Commander Skywalker and the others show up; inform them that we're in the hanger bay, and that we could really need them"

"Oh, okay" said C-3PO. As Derlin and the others rushed off, C-3PO and R2 went back behind a crate for safety. "Keep an eye out for Master Luke, R2; we have to inform him, remember?" R2 beeped in response.

 _Meanwhile_

Han walked throughout the blizzard, desperately talking into his comlink which appeared to be nothing but static.

"Derlin…" said Han weakly into his comlink "Derlin…Major…Derlin…" He fell to his knees. "Major…Derlin…" He fell to his hands. "C'mon…can you at least pick it up…pick…it…up…" He collapsed onto the ground. His breathing slowed down. His eyes started to twitch until they shut.

"Solo?" said Derlin through his comlink "Solo? Solo, do you read me? Solo?" As soon as Han heard this, his ears pricked up and he slowly pulled his head up.

"Derlin…" said Han "Derlin…the cave…I'm out…"

"What are you doing out of the cave?" asked Derlin "The storm should be reaching its peak by now!"

"I know but…but I got chased out…" said Han as he rolled himself onto his back.

"I told you, we can't go out at the moment" said Derlin "Please, try to find shelter; it's your only hope at the moment. I'm not lying, you have to find shelter or you'll die"

"I think at this stage…I've come to accept that…" said Han "For better or for worse…"

"Wait; you're not seriously accepting death, are you?" said Derlin.

"You say that as if it's an option…" said Han.

"You can't be serious" said Derlin "Can't you at least try?"

"I tried trying, but that didn't work" said Han "Now…Now I'm lying here in the snow, freezing to death, wounded and scared…"

"Wait, wounded?" said Derlin.

"That's where…trying has led me…" said Han.

"How are you wounded?" asked Derlin.

"Whitefang got me…" replied Han "Got away from it but…got lost out here…"

"Han, don't give up on us" said Derlin "Surely you've experienced far worse than his before, haven't you?" Han allowed his thoughts to drift back. He remembered when he fought Boba Fett, he remembered when he fought Imperial forces on Serenno, he remembered when he was attacked by Darth Vader on Oba Diah, and he remembered when he was attacked by buzz droids.

"No…" said Han "Nothing…Not even buzz droids…Just leave me…"

"Then what about what you'll leave behind?" asked Derlin. Han's eyes lit up. "Is there anything in this galaxy worth staying with? Think about it; because if you die, it will affect everyone around you" Han began to think of Chewbacca and the _Millennium Falcon_ , along with all the adventures they had been on together. He began thinking of Luke and Ahsoka as well as R2 and C-3PO, and then he began thinking of Corea and Leia. It was then that he slowly pulled himself up onto his feet.

"Got to…keep going…" said Han.

"You're not giving up?" asked Derlin.

"My time ain't over just yet…" replied Han "I might not have much strength left…but I'll use whatever is left to…seize life…by the handles!" After getting himself up, he started limping off into the winds ahead.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke, Corea, and Chewbacca placed charges around the entrance to the cave.

"Alright, we'd better make a run for it when we set these suckers" said Corea "The whole place is going to go up and then down"

"That was always for certain" said Ahsoka.

"We should still be prepared for it" said Luke "Alright, let's get ready" At that moment, there was a loud roar down the tunnels. "Okay, where did that come from?"

"All around us" replied Ahsoka. About seven large wampas emerged from the tunnels around them and roared furiously.

"Okay, that's a lot of wampas" said Corea. She pulled out her blasters and aimed it at the wampas. "Come back for seconds, huh? You might want to handle your appetite better; it'll only get you into more trouble" The wampas roared and started surrounding them.

"Okay, that's quite a few of them" said Ahsoka as she and Luke ignited their lightsabers. The wampas started closing in on them.

"Run" said Corea.

"What?" asked Luke.

"Run!" said Corea "I'll set the timer on the charges"

"But—" said Luke.

"Just go!" said Corea "it's alright, I only need to set one; the rest will go off with it" Luke, Ahsoka, and Chewbacca rushed off but were blocked off by a large wampa that roared at them.

"Stay back!" said Luke as he held his lightsaber at the beast. Suddenly, the wampa grabbed him by the arm and pulled him in.

"Luke, watch out!" exclaimed Ahsoka. Luke twirled his wrist around and slashed the wampa in the neck, killing it. For a moment, he looked down at the corpse with a mortified look on his face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…just a little…shaken" said Luke.

"C'mon, let's get out of here" said Ahsoka. Suddenly, a wampa bounded up to them and grabbed her by the leg, pulling her down.

"Ahsoka!" exclaimed Luke. He rushed back and tried to pull her away from the beast as she tried to kick it away. "Try to keep it off"

"That's what I'm doing!" said Ahsoka. Chewbacca walked up and roared viciously, firing his bowcaster at the wampas shoulder, sending it back a few feet. The wampa roared again and lunged towards them, only for Chewbacca to shoot him in the head, killing it instantly. "Thanks Chewie" The three of them rushed out of the cave.

"I hope Corea's alright" said Luke.

"C'mon, c'mon!" said Corea as she set the timer for the charges "Got it" Suddenly, a wampa crept up behind her and grabbed her just as she was about to leave. "Hey, I was just leaving!" The wampa began squeezing her tightly. "Geez; even with my helmet on, I can still smell your breath!" She reached for her blaster and shot the wampa various times in the stomach. As the wampa let out an ear-splitting scream, it collapsed to the ground dead with Corea getting out of its grip. She then looked over at the charges and then at the wampas which surrounded her. "Oh; what the heck!" She activated her jetpack and flew off, shooting one of the charges as she left. The explosion caused the roofing around them to collapse in and crush the wampas around her. As Corea flew fast through the cavern, she made it through the crack just before the cave completely caved in and tumbled down in front of the other three. Chewbacca growled as he helped her up.

"Is it done?" asked Luke.

"What does it look like?" smirked Corea.

"Well, good job" said Luke.

"Now all that's left is to deal with the rest of the wampas in the base" said Ahsoka.

 _Meanwhile_

Han limped on further throughout the icy wilderness when he saw something on the horizon next to the mountains. He pulled out his electrobinoculars and looked out, seeing what appeared to be to be a shield generator under construction.

"The shield!" said Han "Finally something!" He limped on further when he heard growling and snarling. At that moment, the whitefang ran up and roared at him. "You're just sticking to me, aren't you?" The whitefang growled again "Guess what, I don't like it" The whitefang growled again "So that's the way it's going to be, huh?" Han slowly reached for his blaster. "Bring it!" The whitefang roared again and bounded up to him. Suddenly, various blaster fire erupted around the whitefang. It let out one last snarl and ran off. "Finally…something…" He collapsed unconscious. At that moment, two large blue feet stepped up to him.

"Kodamoe" said a voice shortly before Han was picked up and brought away.

 _Meanwhile_

"We're almost there" said Luke "Command center's just down this hallway" He, Ahsoka, Corea, and Chewbacca arrived just outside the command center, only to find the door to it open.

"This isn't a good sign" said Corea.

"Agreed" said Luke. He and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers while Corea and Chewbacca prepped their weapons. "Stay behind us; we don't know what we'll find" They slowly walked in cautiously and looked around at their surroundings.

"There's no sign of Rieekan or Toryn, but neither is there any sign of a scuffle or an attack" said Ahsoka.

"It's just strange" said Luke.

"Master Luke, so good to see you alive!" said a voice from behind Luke. He turned around and pointed his lightsaber at a surprised C-3PO. "Oh my!" Luke sighed and lowered his lightsaber.

"Try not to sneak up on me like that, 3PO" said Luke.

"That I will take fully" said C-3PO. R2 rolled out and beeped.

"Go0od to see you two, little buddy" said Ahsoka "So what happened here? Where's General Rieekan?"

"The command center was under attack by wampas who tried to get in so General Rieekan called for reinforcements within the base" replied C-3PO "When they arrived, they wiped out the ice creatures but they got a distress call from the troops in the hanger that they are currently under attack again, so General Rieekan and Toryn Farr have gone to help. They told us to stay here and we have"

"We'd better get there" said Luke. He and the others turned and ran off down the hallway.

"Take care, Master Luke" said C-3PO "Oh, I hope he'll be alright" R2 started moving off. "R2, where are you going?" R2 beeped. "What are you talking about? If they wanted us they to help them they would have asked" R2 didn't listen and continued onwards. "R2, stop; come back, R2! Oh dear!" He reluctantly followed after R2. "R2, you really have to stop going off like this; you'll only get us into—" At that moment, both of them arrived into the hanger where a full out battle between the rebel troopers and the wampas had formed. "—trouble…again" R2 beeped and rushed off into the battle. "R2, wait! We can't fight back, we're not combat droids; we're simply not designed for this!" At that moment, a wampa rose up and roared. "Oh no!" Suddenly, it was shot down by Chewbacca who roared. "Well, that was fortunate" R2 beeped.

"There's still so many" said Luke as he and Ahsoka fought through the wampas.

"I know" said Ahsoka "I thought that once we had blocked the cavern, everything would get better. There's just…it's like there's no end to it"

" _Ahsoka…"_

Ahsoka turned and looked around to see where the voice had come from but found nothing.

" _Ahsoka…"_

More and more confused looks befell on Ahsoka's face. Suddenly, the Daughter materialized before her.

"Ahsoka, I can end this; but to do that, you have to let me" said the Daughter "The time has come to test my theory; but be prepared, you might find it…difficult"

"I'm ready" said Ahsoka. As she turned her lightsaber off and walked over towards the Daughter, Luke looked over at her and a look of concern came to his face as he could not see the Daughter himself.

"Ahsoka?!" exclaimed Luke. Ahsoka didn't reply. "Ahsoka, what are you doing?" The Daughter extended her hand out and Ahsoka extended her hand out as well. The two placed palms together.

"Now, get ready" said the Daughter. White light shone from her eyes as well as Ahsoka's, which drew the attention of not only Luke but various other rebels as well, the Daughter slowly passed into Ahsoka and disappeared. Ahsoka then turned towards the wampas and extended out her hand, causing all of them to stop and look towards her.

"Come" said Ahsoka in a calm and almost emotionless fashion. She slowly walked off into the corridors with all of the wampas following her in a calm fashion.

"What's happening?" asked Corea.

"I don't know" said Luke "But I don't think I like it" He followed after Ahsoka who brought the wampas to the small doorway to a large and empty storage room and sent them in one-by-one until they were all in, with Luke watching in a mixture of astonishment and horror. Ahsoka then closed the door with the Force and collapsed onto her knees. Luke ran up to her side. "Ahsoka, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so" replied Ahsoka. She looked up at the door to the storage room. "Remind me, what just happened?"

"You…kind of saved the day" replied Luke "You led the wampas into a storage room and locked the door. We really need to put a sticker on that or something so no one opens it by mistake"

"Yeah" said Ahsoka "Hey Skyguy, mind helping me to my room?"

"With pleasure" replied Luke. He helped her up and they walked off down the hallway.

 _Later_

Corea and Chewbacca sat against a T-47 airspeeder and watched as everyone in the hanger cleaned up and repaired things.

"Well; with the power back up, remaining wampas contained, I'd say things are getting back to normal" said Corea. Chewbacca growled. "Yeah; we'd better get used to calling this home" At that moment, something blue started appearing in the doorway of the hanger. "What the heck?" The two of them ran over to the doorway to see a small group of Ortolans outside. "Well, looks like we have ourselves a house call" The Ortolan at the front said something in Ortolan. "Did you understand that?" Chewbacca stood his head. Corea sighed and looked around before noticing C-3PO walking past. She ran up to him. "Hey 3PO, mind helping us out?"

"What with?" asked C-3PO as Corea pulled him along.

"A little translating" replied Corea.

"Certainly" said C-3PO. The Ortolan said the same thing in Ortolan. "He says that his name is Pob Loqo, he's a member of the Ortolan colony on the planet" Pob said something else in Ortolan. "And he says that this man is looking for a place called "Echo Base""

"What man?" asked Corea. The other Ortolans unveiled Han, who looked almost unconscious but no longer freezing as he once was. "Han!" Chewbacca growled and picked Han up. "Han, are you alright?"

"Hey…it's me…" smirked Han. Corea smiled and kissed him.

"As your girlfriend, I ban you from ever doing things in which you could get yourself killed" smirked Corea.

"No guarantee" smirked Han.

"Let's just get you to the med bay first" said Corea "3PO, tell the Ortolans thank you for saving Han"

"Will do" said C-3PO. He said something in Ortolan. Pob and the other Ortolans lifted their arms up in the air and started hooting excitedly. "Oh! Well, I guess you're welcome then" As Corea and Chewbacca brought Han through the hanger; they passed a rebel trooper trying to rustle a tauntaun back into its pen in a hallway.

"Easy, easy!" said the rebel trooper "This way, this way" Corea and Chewbacca entered the medical center where FX-7 was monitoring a rebel trooper in a bacta tank.

"What can I do for you?" asked 2-1B as he walked up them.

"He could use some bacta" replied Corea.

"Will do" said 2-1B "Lay him on the bed whilst I prepare the bacta tank" Chewbacca laid Han on a bed whilst 2-1B walked off.

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka sat in her room meditating until the Daughter appeared before her.

"Ahsoka, what is troubling you?" asked the Daughter.

"It's…It's about what happened when back there" replied Ahsoka "When we…became one; I saw everything, I felt everything, but I had absolutely no control. Everything I did was because you did it. And it…it scared me"

"I confess that it was much different than I had originally thought" said the Daughter "Whilst together, I could feel a deep sense of fading; as if the boundaries between us were slowly dissolving the longer we were together"

"Are you saying that you're going to fade away or something?" asked Ahsoka.

"Worse; I fear that if we do that again and are together for too long, we might permanently become one and never go back" replied the Daughter.

"That's bad, right?" asked Ahsoka.

"Both of us would essentially die and a new being would be born from our life force" replied the Daughter "I have long since come to terms with my own life, but I gave my life force to you so you could live on; to allow this to happen would break my dying vow"

"There has to be another way" said Ahsoka.

"There is, but only one" said the Daughter "You have to find the source of this darkness and stop it before it becomes powerful enough. I'll do what I can, but time is not on our side; I already fear that it may be too late. Goodbye, Ahsoka; I hope when we meet again, things are more in our favor" As she disappeared, Luke entered.

"I guess I have a lot to tell you about what happened back there" said Ahsoka.

"Agreed" said Luke as he sat himself down next to her. There was a short silence. "So…where to begin?"

"Well, I guess with a trip to Mortis" replied Ahsoka.

 **Just a Crazy Man** : Once again; I appreciate the support, but I would appreciate it a little more if you were a little more descriptive with your reviews. It's still appreciated though :)

 **CT7567Rules** : Don't worry, Chelaa Secura is still intact and her character will be part of K'Kruhk's character arc. Without giving anything away, Katooni will be appearing in an upcoming chapter and Petro and Gungi will appear next season. As for Rex; I hope this doesn't upset you, but I planned for him to appear in a somewhat later season. I hope this isn't too frustrating, but he will definitely appear, I promise you that. Anyways; good hearing from you, I hope you enjoy the remaining upcoming chapters.


	18. Demons in the Dark

**Author's note** : Just to let everyone know, I've finished the remaining chapters for this season so now it's only a matter of releasing them gradually.

 **Demons in the Dark**

 _Attack on Utapau! In an unexpected and sudden move, the Empire has launched an attack on the sinkhole world of Utapau due to supposed connections to the Rebel Alliance! After several days of violent skirmishes and dwindling defenses, the Utapau Committee has contacted the Alliance and called for aid in this time of need!_

 _After heeding the call, the Alliance has sent forth an attack force to help the natives hold their own. As General Rahm Kota and Commander Luke Skywalker lead the charge, the tide of the battle seems to be finally turning in their favor…_

 _Utapau_

A massive battle had erupted in Pau City. Through the skies, X-Wings and Y-Wings fought alongside Porax-38 starfighters and dactillions as they fended off the TIE fighters and TIE bombers. On the ground, the rebel troopers and stormtroopers clashed with their vehicles backing them up. Luke lunged forward and cut down various stormtroopers as he went.

"Commander Skywalker, they're starting to flank us" said a rebel trooper.

"Keep pushing forward" said Luke "We're starting to break them, we just need to do it a bit longer" Unbeknownst to Luke, a dark trooper snuck up behind him and aimed its blaster at him. Suddenly, Kota rode up on a male varactyl and pounced on the cyborg, ripping it apart. "Thanks for that, Kota"

"Stay focused, we're not far off winning this battle" said Kota "We just need to push it a bit more" He rode off, running over every stormtrooper in his path.

 _Meanwhile_

Han and Chewbacca flew through the sky in the _Millennium Falcon_ , blasting down every TIE fighter in his path. Chewbacca started growling.

"You're right, they are starting to swarm all over us" said Han "Man, that's what I hate about TIE fighters; no matter how many you shoot down, there's always a good couple hundred of them ready to swarm you. Corea, there's about fifty more TIE fighters ready to come in on us"

"I see 'em" said Corea "Boy, these Imperials sure love sending all these fighters into their doom"

"That's the general idea" said Han "Cannon fodder"

"Captain Solo, this is Commander Jemek of the Utapau Skyforce" said an Utai pilot who flew next to the _Falcon_ "The TIE fighters are taking my ships down easily but your ship seems to be doing well. Can you lead the charge and provide some cover for us?"

"With pleasure, commander" said Han. The Utapaun starfighters lined up behind the _Millennium Falcon_ as it flew through the TIE fighters and shot them down. "Got ya'!"

 _Meanwhile_

Kota rode through the battle when he saw an AT-ST walking up to him. As he sped up to it, he ignited his lightsaber and cut off one of its legs, causing it to collapse.

"Kota, we've reached the Imperial outpost" said Luke through his comlink "It's about seven minutes from where we last met earlier"

"I'm already on my way" said Kota. He turned around and rode off back in the direction he had come in.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and a group of rebel troopers being backed up T2-B repulsor tanks and AT-RTs rushed forward against the Imperial encampment which was set up on higher ground. He looked up at the stormtroopers who were shooting down at them.

"We need to get up there" said Luke "We take out their command post, the rest is sure to follow" The Imperial field commander looked down with scorn.

"Send the spider droids down to deal with them and continue shooting" said the Imperial field commander "I'll be off to retrieve tanks to break them. If they come up here, fall back and get ready for my next order"

"No" said a voice. The Imperial field commander turned around to see Commander Cody. "Let me deal with them" The Imperial field commander nodded and ran off.

"We're almost there" said Luke as he deflected the stormtrooper shots "Prepare cabals, we'll have to make a dash for it" Suddenly, a group of dwarf spider droids leapt down and started attacking them.

"Spider droids!" exclaimed a rebel trooper.

"Stay in formation, they're trying to shock us so we make a mistake; we just need to stay calm about this" said Luke. As the dwarf spider droids swarmed them, Luke leapt up onto one of them and stabbed it down with his lightsaber. He then looked over at the others that were coming his way and an idea immediately popped into his head. He leapt onto another dwarf spider droid and then onto the ledge, grabbing onto it.

"Stop him!" snapped a stormtrooper. The stormtroopers attempted to shoot and push Luke off but he ignited his lightsaber and slashed them down before leaping up onto the ledge.

"That wasn't so tough" said Luke. Suddenly, a laser bolt shot right towards him but he was able to deflect it with his lightsaber. He looked over at Cody who stood there with his blaster poised. "Careful, you almost hit me that time"

"Funny" said Cody "You take me for some dimwitted stormtrooper, don't you?"

"Well; to be fair, you've got some shiny armor that makes you look different" said Luke "So that's a plus, I guess?"

"Ha ha!" said Cody sarcastically "Now why don't we settle this man-to-man, rebel; without your lightsaber"

"Why; do you want fairer competition?" smirked Luke.

"No" replied Cody "I merely wish to see whether you're actually a good fighter without your lightsaber" As Cody dropped his blaster, Luke reluctantly dropped his lightsaber.

"Alright, then I guess let the better man win then" said Luke. The two charged at each other and engaged in a fist fight, with Cody showing surprisingly superior strength as he grabbed onto Luke's wrists and pushed him back. "Okay, not what I was expecting. How did you get so strong?"

"Suit augments my strength, giving me the advantage" replied Cody.

"Oh boy!" said Luke. Cody threw another punch at him but he dodged it. He lunged for his lightsaber but Cody shot out a cable and shocked him with it.

"No, you're not going for that" said Cody. He walked over to Luke and attempted to stamp him out, but Luke rolled to his side and summoned his lightsaber to his hand; slamming it down upon Cody, only for him to block it with wrist and activating a shield on it.

"Shields, huh?" said Luke "You've really got all the things figured out, haven't you?"

"You have no idea" said Cody. At that moment, a group of 2-M hover tanks turned up just outside the stormtrooper encampment. The Imperial field commander appeared from the hatch and looked out at the fighting Luke and Cody with his electrobinoculars.

"A Jedi?" said the Imperial field commander "We have to end him quick; aim all weapons at him and open fire with full force"

"But sir, Commander Cody is still in firing range" said a stormtrooper pilot within a hover tank "Should we inform him first?"

"Negative" replied the Imperial field commander "We have a perfect position, we shouldn't waste it. Blast them!" The hover tanks shot at Luke and Cody, destroying the ledge they were on and crumbling off into the sinkhole. "Got them!" Luke desperately held onto the remains of the ledge. He got a quick glimpse of his lightsaber rolling off but summoned it to his hand. Suddenly, the ledge crumbled off more. Luke quickly looked down at the bottom of the sinkhole and noticed that Cody had disappeared. Suddenly, the ledge crumbled off more

"Well, I certainly can't hang around here much longer" said Luke to himself. He swung himself back up and landed at the top again.

"There he is!" exclaimed a stormtrooper. The stormtroopers began shooting him again but he ignited his lightsaber and started deflecting the shots.

"At this stage I should really stop expecting a warm welcome at times like this" said Luke to himself.

"The Jedi, he's still there!" snapped the Imperial field commander "Full blast again!"

"But sir—" said the stormtrooper pilot again.

"Just do it!" snapped the Imperial field commander. The tanks began firing again but Luke desperately rolled to the side to avoid the shots, causing the blasts to hit the stormtroopers instead.

"Oh boy; it just end, does it?" said Luke.

"Fire again!" snapped the Imperial field commander. The tanks fired at Luke again, and he only just avoided it; but he looked down at the crumbling ground around him.

"Geez; if these things fire enough times, I might not have enough ground to walk on" said Luke to himself. He looked down at the battle between the rebel troopers and the dwarf spider. "Well, it's certainly more inviting that staying up here"

"Fire at will!" snapped the Imperial field commander. The tanks fired again but Luke leapt down onto a dwarf spider droid and avoided the shots.

"We've lost him, sir" said the stormtrooper pilot. The Imperial field commander frowned.

"Luke, you there?" asked Han out of Luke's comlink.

"You bet" replied Luke into his comlink as he stabbed the dwarf spider droid with his lightsaber "What is it?"

"We've caught sight of the Imperial encampment and we're readying a bombing with the Y-Wings, but we've also caught sight of you and your men around the same area" replied Han "Think you could clear out?"

"I'll do what I can" replied Luke "Everyone, retreat; the encampment's about to be bombed!" He and the rebel troopers retreated and ran out of the area.

"Finally, they're retreating!" said the Imperial field commander.

"Watch out!" exclaimed a stormtrooper. A group of Y-Wings flew down and bombed the encampment area until it was barren and devoid of any life. Luke looked back at the singed area before it slowly crumbled off into the sinkhole below.

"Well…we've dealt with that then" said Luke.

 _Later_

As the sun went down, Luke and Kota sat before a strategy table of the plains of Utapau and the Imperial base that was located there. Tion Medon stood before them

"Your scouts have finally located the Imperial base" said Kota "It's off on the plains"

"Once it's gone, the rest of the Imperials should follow" said Luke.

"And my people will be safe from them" said Medon.

"For a time, yes" said Luke.

"What do you mean for a time?" asked Medon.

"We're saying that while you're in a neutral position like this, the Empire will continue to attack you" replied Kota "And the longer it goes on for, the more dangerous it will be"

"I know, but it goes against our tradition of neutrality" said Medon "Long have we remained neutral in such wars, but once again we are forced to make a choice"

"And it is one that could define the future of this planet" said Kota.

"True" said Medon "Should we join, it could a target for the Empire; but the Empire will attack us nonetheless. This is hardly the first time"

"So what did happen in that battle years ago?" asked Luke.

"Shortly after the declaration of the Galactic Empire, they tried to enforce their influence here further" replied Medon "We held our ground, but it wasn't enough; with the help of leaked information of our defenses, they occupied us and we were fighting our own war with them ever since. The Empire had more important systems to deal with, so their presence there wasn't as much as it could have been, but they were still on the winning side. We would have lost if your Alliance hadn't broken the Empire's hold a few years ago. It enabled us to turn the tide of the campaigns"

"How did the information get leaked?" asked Luke.

"My head-of-security was the one responsible" replied Medon "At the formation of the Empire; he approached the Committee and told us that we should join the Empire, claiming that it would be the most logical direction. He said that the Empire was the only true sense of order in the galaxy; and that if we wanted to survive it, we should become a part of it"

"I'm guessing that didn't go over well" said Kota.

"You have no idea" said Medon "We had heard the stories about what happened to systems that opposed the Empire, but we had also heard stories about systems that bowed down and it wasn't much better. So he defected, using his knowledge of the planet's defenses as a way to buy himself into the Imperial academy. To think, for almost a hundred years I thought that I could count upon Tame Cronos to protect us"

"I'm sorry, who?" asked Luke.

"Tame Cronos, he was the head-of-security who betrayed us" replied Medon.

"Tame Cronos" said Luke.

"Do you know him?" asked Medon.

"I do" replied Luke "He's an Imperial general and he's recently been behind quite a few Imperial projects. He also seems…to want to be more than just a general"

"That does not surprise me" said Medon "After his defection, we uncovered evidence that he was secretly trying to take my place as chairman of the committee; he was merely acting loyal so he could gain his ends. I guess I trusted him just too much"

"We'll prepare the Y-Wings for a bombing run in the morning" said Kota "Hopefully with the right timing we might be able to catch the Imperials off-guard"

"In the meantime, I will discuss things with the rest of the Committee and I will mention your offer of joining the Alliance; but I fear they may not agree to it" said Medon.

"If you don't try, nothing will change" said Luke. Medon walked off.

"Skywalker, inform the troops of our plan of attack" said Kota

 _Meanwhile_

Han and Chewbacca were doing maintenance on the _Millennium Falcon_.

"Well; she got beaten up a bit in the battle, but I think she'll be alright ultimately" said Han. Chewbacca growled. "She's been through a lot worse, Chewie; I mean, all these years of smuggling and engaging in dogfights should be a testament to that" Chewbacca huffed. "Hey, come on!" Chewbacca growled again. "Okay, fine; but still, we'd better work hard on this. Tomorrow's going to be a big day according to Luke; we're going to reduce the Imperial base to ground zero" Suddenly, there was a large explosion on the other side of the room. "WOAH!" Chewbacca growled. "Did you see that?" Chewbacca growled again. "That was so…sudden" At that moment, Corea ran up to them.

"You guys have to come quick!" said Corea "Explosives just went off at the other end!"

"Yeah, I saw that" said Han. The three of them rushed off to where the explosion went off and found a large steaming pile of wreckage and ash with various rebel troopers and pilots surrounding it. "What happened here?"

"A bomb took us off-guard" said Jemek "From what we've been able to salvage, it seems to have been planted here intentionally"

"Any casualties?" asked Han.

"Only the Y-Wings, they appeared to have been the main target" replied Jemek.

"Are you certain?" asked Han.

"It was planted on a Y-Wing around the other Y-Wings" said Jemek.

"Disabling our bombers on the very night before we start our bomber run" said Han "That's not suspicious at all, is it? Luke, I've got news for you" From atop the hanger bay, two large bat like creatures with large red eyes, horrid grey skin, brown fur, four limbs, and large wings looked down at them.

"We did it, Vesper; their bombers are gone!" said Mren (one of the bat creatures).

"They'll soon be more of them" said Vesper (the other bat creature) "And they'll be more prepared next time" At that moment, Luke and Medon stepped out. "Wait; that Human, the one with the blonde hair!"

"What about him?" asked Mren.

"On his belt, a lightsaber!" said Vesper.

"What about it?" asked Mren.

"Lord Vader told us that should we ever find a rebel with a lightsaber we should hand them over to him; alive, if possible" said Vesper "It would seem that one has crawled right into our grip. This is an opportunity that we cannot ignore"

"But look at this crowd; we can't just get past them" said Mren "He may be in our grip but he is out of our reach at this very moment. We cannot get him"

"Not now, but we will eventually" said Vesper "We just need to watch carefully and wait, bidding our time until we eventually snatch him up. With that, Utapau will be ours"

 _Meanwhile_

Cody carefully scaled down the wall of the sinkhole with his cable, finding footing at the very bottom next to the water.

"Better be careful now" said Cody to himself "One wrong step and I slip right in. Now all I have to do is find a way out of here without the rebels seeing me" As he carefully scaled across, a spear suddenly shot forward and hit the wall just next to him. "What the heck?"

"Intruder, intruder!" said a voice in Amanese. Cody turned his head around to see a group on Amani gathered on an island near him with their spears and other tribal weapons at the ready. "Kill him before he brings more!"

"These guys!" said Cody to himself "I really have to stop talking to myself"

"He looks like he's reaching for his comm!" snapped an Amani in Amanese "Stop him!" They began throwing rocks at him, aiming at his head. They then began throwing spears at him again. Cody looked down at the water and leapt into it.

"He's in the water!" snapped an Amani in Amanese "Alert the chief!" Several of the Amani ran off to alert the rest of their clan. Cody looked around and saw the entrance to an underwater cave just ahead of him. He extended his hand out and shot his cable out at it. He began to reel into it when something suddenly grabbed him by the foot. He looked back to see a large nos monster holding onto his foot. He pulled out his blaster and shot it in the shoulder, causing it to let go of him. The creature bellowed and chased after him, but Cody shot back at it various times in the head until it was dead and its body floated to the surface. As Cody reached the cave, he swam in and pulled himself out of the water.

"Finally!" said Cody. He pulled himself up and collapsed onto the rocks, pulling his helmet off and spitting out water. As he lay on the ground regaining his breath, he looked up at the roof and it wasn't long until he heard familiar voices.

" _When have I ever let you down?"_

" _Very well; the burden's on me not to destroy all of the droids until you arrive"_

 _Meanwhile_

"I've spoken with Ackbar, he'll send more Y-Wings to us" said Kota as he sat down at the strategy table "But it will take some time to organize them; it seems we'll have to postpone the bombing run"

"We've got bigger things at hand" said Luke "That attack was no accident; the Imperials know of our plan, we have to reevaluate it"

"Damn!" said Han "And I just got the _Falcon_ all fixed up"

"Yep, looks like we're going to be spending here longer than we originally planned" said Luke.

"I still don't understand, my sentries say that they saw no Imperials in the area" said Jemek.

"They could have used shadow troopers" said Han "Wouldn't be the first time"

"I don't know, I can't shake the feeling that there's something else at work here" said Luke.

"It's turning out to be quite a long night" said Kota "Commander Skywalker, Captain Solo; you are excused. Take the night, I'll take it over from here; you'll need your rest"

"Thank you, Master Kota" said Luke. He and Han stood themselves up and walked off.

"So what do you reckon it is?" asked Han.

"After the explosion, shadow troopers were my first suspicion as well; so I examined the area, but it just…wasn't them" replied Luke

"How do you know for sure?" asked Han.

"No footprints" replied Luke "On occasion when we've encountered shadow troopers, I've looked around at the location they were at and I noticed footprints in the terrain. There was a layer of dirt in the hanger but no footprints"

"So, some invisible floating creature snuck in and planted a bomb on a Y-Wing?" said Han "Sorry, but I just can't picture any of those in the Imperial army"

"The Empire hasn't been above hiring native forces to help them" replied Luke.

"I brushed up on this planet before we arrived" said Han "Native species: Pau'ans and Utai; as well as a few Amani colonies. I mean, I think I've seen a few Toydarians around; but I think we would have noticed a big blue winged blob just coming in and tinkering with a Y-Wing"

"Then what if it's something else?" asked Luke "Something unseen"

"Then that's going to take some time to figure out" said Han "Let's just look up on the holonet and go through a complete history of Utapau" At that moment, something swept down and grabbed Luke by the shoulders. "Luke?" He looked off into the distance and saw Vesper carrying Luke off. "Luke!" He pulled out his blaster and aimed it at Vesper before realizing what would happen if he shot. "Damn it!"

 _Meanwhile_

"Let me go!" said Luke as Vesper flew him through the caverns "Let me go!" He tried struggling but it was no use. Suddenly, Vesper stopped in a large grotto and dropped Luke just next to the deep water. As Luke got himself up, he reached for his lightsaber; only for vesper to snatch it off him.

"We have you now!" snarled Vesper

"Who are you and why did you capture me?" asked Luke.

"I am Vesper" replied Vesper "And I have taken you prisoner to advance our progress"

"That…doesn't really explain much" said Luke.

"It doesn't have to" said Vesper. Luke carefully looked around the grotto and at the tunnels he was brought through. "Attempt to escape at your own peril, rebel; you won't get far"

"We'll see about that!" said Luke. As he rushed forward, Vesper leapt in front of him and snarled. However, Luke force-pushed him out of the way and climbed up into the caverns ahead.

"Brothers, stop the prisoner from escaping!" yelled Vesper before letting out an ear-splitting screech. Suddenly, countless more bat creatures that were wrapped upside-down from the ceiling opened their eyes and started flapping their wings screeching. Luke looked up at the ceiling and almost gasped at the sight of it.

"Oh…unwise" said Luke. The bat creatures started flapping around the cavern, swarming him. "Go away! Go away!" They began encircling around him and trapping him off.

 _Meanwhile on Ryloth_

Qila walked up to his hut with a supply of herbs in a bag on his back when he felt a strange tremor in the Force around him. He looked around at everything around him.

"No, it's nothing" said Qila to himself "Just relax" As he entered his hut, he felt the very same tremor again and sighed. "I suppose it is worth meditation"

 _Meanwhile_

"And then; it was gone, taking Luke with him" said Han "I tried to shoot it down but then I realize what would happen to Luke if I did. Splat!"

"Were there anymore of them?" asked Kota.

"Not that I could see" replied Han "Luke mentioned that he thought something different was behind the bombing; do that bat thing was the one?"

"Possibly" replied Kota "The fact that it took Skywalker is definitely worth suspicion; although it could have simply been an animal acting in a territorial or predatory way; could you tell if it was sentient or not?"

"I only got a brief glimpse of it, but how could you tell from the way it looks?" replied Han "A lot of people think that Wol Cabasshites are non-sentient"

"But what about behavioral patterns?" asked Kota.

"Like I said, only a brief glimpse" replied Han "But whatever it is, it has Luke; and we have to get him back" said Han.

"I'm afraid I might know what took him" said Jemek as he walked up to them "After you described the creature, it reminded me of something I heard of as a child; so I did some researching and finally found something" He pulled out a holodisc and inserted it into the strategy table which brought up a hologram of one of the bat creatures. "They're called the Chiropters; they descend from Iukvik, the darkest of Utapau's nine moons. Due to the shadowy environments and never seeing the light of day, they evolved to survive in the environment. For millions of years our two societies remained parallel from each other, until space travel reached their planet about two decades before the Clone Wars struck and they began travelling to our world"

"So what happened then?" asked Han.

"Upon arriving on Utapau, they sought our civilization out at once" replied Jemek "Tion Medon, as you know, welcomed them and offered them an equal place in our society. Unfortunately, the Chiropters weren't so kind in return; they were a very aggressive species and they wanted to be the dominant species. A civil war broke out for control of the planet; and for a long time, the Chiropters were the winning side. But luck ultimately came to our side. You see, the Chiropters had evolved on a shadowy moon so they were nocturnal and their eyes were very sensitive to bright light; and during the most pivotal battle within this short period, we saved by the sunrise. The Chiropters retreated back into their caves; and now that we had discovered this weakness, we made sure that we spent the remainder of the war using it to our advantage. Eventually, they surrendered; most went back Iukvik, but there were suspicions that some of them stayed behind here; waiting, biding their time for the right moment"

"And now we know for sure that those rumors are true" said Han "Now can we just find Luke and bring him back. Can't I just take the _Falcon_ and go after him? I mean, it's got some real firepower to show those bat freaks who's boss"

"Actually, we've examined the cave you said Skywalker disappeared into" said Jemek "It's too cramped for any of your vehicles to enter; and as you know, that's all it takes for a bad accident"

"What are we going to do then?" asked Han "I mean; it's too dangerous on foot, right?"

"I said your vehicles, I didn't say any of ours were ineffective" replied Jemek.

 _A few minutes later_

Han mounted up onto a dactillion who screeched and flapped its wings around.

"Easy there!" said Han whilst trying to calm it down. Chewbacca mounted the dactillion and growled. "If we had a bucket list, Chewie; we certainly should tick this off"

"Heads up!" said Corea. She leapt up onto the dactillion's back, startling it.

"Watch it!" said Han "This ain't a vehicle, it's a live animal; you scare it and it will do something unpredictable"

"So, does this mean I can whatever I want to the _Falcon_?" smirked Corea.

"Eh; don't be getting any ideas, young lady" said Han "Alright, let's set off; yah!" The dactillion let out a screech and lifted off; flying over to the cave Luke disappeared into. Chewbacca growled.

"Chewie's got a point; why need us, wouldn't it be stealthier to go alone?" asked Corea.

"I need to concentrate on the flying, you two are the backup" replied Han.

"Right" said Corea "Define backup"

"There's bound to be more of them in there and I'll have my hands full with the big bird here" replied Han "I'll need you two to shoot them down to keep them off my back; these guys are intelligent and ferocious, so they'll attack the dactillion and keep and then we'll be trapped"

"And left to have the flesh ripped off our bones" said Corea.

"Not my ideal way to die" said Han. As they flew into the entrance of the cave, a sticky slime-like substance with a bright blue glow dangled over them.

"Gross!" said Corea.

"Shhh!" said Han quietly.

"Sorry!" said Corea quietly "What is this stuff?"

"Look up carefully" replied Han quietly. Corea looked up to see large foot-long glow worms dangling from the ceiling with a distinct blue light. "Giant glow worms, they hang from the ceiling; don't worry, they're harmless" At that moment, they flew around giant moths with cerulean and crimson colors that were half the size of banthas that were perched on the walls.

"And what are those things?" asked Corea quietly.

"Goliath moths, they live in the caves and fly out at night" replied Han quietly "Don't worry, they're harmless as well; unless you provoke them of course"

"You sure no a lot, Han" said Corea quietly.

"It pays to brush up on a planet's information before arriving" said Han quietly.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke was crouched on the ground with his hands bound by chains and being loomed over by the Chiropters.

"Keep him in plain sight" said Vesper as he walked up to a hologram projector "I will inform Lord Vader of this finding; he will be most pleased"

"So this is what it's all about?" snapped Luke "You're working with the Empire?" Mren punched Luke in the head.

"Silence!" snapped Mren. Vesper brought up a hologram of Darth Vader.

"Lord Vader, we have news for you" said Vesper.

"Have you destroyed the Y-Wings as instructed, Vesper?" asked Vader.

"We have" replied Vesper "And we have informed the other Imperials of the rebel plan as well. But we have something else to show you, a particularly intriguing prisoner"

"Show me" said Vader. Vesper gestured to the Mren who pulled Luke forward. "Jedi!"

"You know?" asked Vesper.

"I have had meetings with this particular Jedi in the past" replied Vader "I will need further proof however; show me his lightsaber"

"Very well" said Vesper "He pulled out Luke's lightsaber and ignited it"

"Yes, that is his lightsaber" said Vader "But why capture him?"

"I merely wished to prove ourselves worthy" replied Vesper.

"Explain yourself" said Vader.

"Remember the deal; when this is over, we get Utapau" said Vesper "Under your permission and loyalty, but ours nonetheless"

"Yes" said Vader "I will honor that deal. Take the Jedi the Imperial base and tell them to put him under maximum security; I will be there shortly to collect him myself"

"Understood, my lord" said Vesper whilst bowing his head. The hologram turned off.

 _Meanwhile_

Han stopped the dactillion in a small cavern in the cave.

"Stay there" said Han quietly as he and the others slid off.

"Why are we stopping?" asked Corea quietly.

"We're here" replied Han quietly "We're continuing on foot"

"How can you tell?" asked Corea quietly.

"I can smell the guano from here" replied Han quietly "Chewie, got those flashlights and smoke bombs I asked you to bring?" Chewbacca groaned and nodded. "Perfect!"

"I get it; those are for distractions, right?" said Corea quietly.

"You bet" said Han quietly "These things are sensitive to bright light, so we'll use this to blind and distract them to collect Luke"

"We'd have to find him first" said Corea quietly.

 _Meanwhile_

"You, my Jedi, will be our salvation" said Vesper.

"Damnation more like it" said Luke.

"You heard Vader; he'll allow us to keep Utapau" said Vesper.

"It's a lie" said Luke "It always is with the Empire; everything Vader tells you is merely a ploy to make you work for him. If you're lucky; once he's done with you, he'll merely cast you aside"

"Trying to scare us?" said Vesper.

"I'm trying to warn you" said Luke. At that moment, Han, Corea, and Chewbacca snuck up behind some stalagmites and watched carefully.

"Nothing you say can change my mind, Jedi" said Vesper.

"There's Luke" said Han quietly.

"Then let's get him!" said Corea quietly as she grabbed one of Chewbacca's smoke bombs.

"Woah woah woah!" said Han quietly as he stopped her "We need to position ourselves well" He licked his finger to check the air current. "We're not downwind, good. Chewie, do you think you could get a good run to Luke?" Chewbacca looked carefully and nodded. "Perfect!"

"Chain him up at the other end of the grotto" said Vesper.

"Oo, I guess that's our cue!" said Han quietly "Chewie, the flashlight; Corea and I will throw the bombs" Chewbacca groaned in response shortly before lifting the flashlight up and turning it on at the Chiropters.

"What is this!" exclaimed Mren as he and the others covered their eyes and cringed back.

"NOW!" yelled Han. He and Corea threw the smoke bombs at the Chiropters before they and Chewbacca rushed in, grabbed Luke, and pulled out.

"Han, what are you doing here?" asked Luke.

"Saving you, what does it look like?" replied Han "Alright, let's make a dash to the dactyl!" As the smoke cleared, Vesper looked on and hissed.

"After them!" snarled Vesper. He and the other Chiropters in the cave opened their wings up and flew after them.

"Looks like we've got company!" said Corea.

"Oh heck!" said Han. He looked back at the Chiropters that swarmed towards him. "We have to get out of here fast!" He and the others mounted the dactillion and flew off down the tunnels.

"Han, we have to go back; one of them has my lightsaber" said Luke.

"Then deal about it later when we're not dead" said Han.

"They're not exactly being sold off free at street corners" said Luke.

"Ha ha; maybe if you try a joke a little funnier, those things might just laugh themselves to death" said Han "Can we just stay on topic, which is "we have to escape now or we'll get ripped to bits". Chewie, Corea; time to put that backup to good use"

"Aye aye, Captain!" smirked Corea. She and Chewbacca began shooting at the Chiropters continuously, shooting down numerous ones in the process. "Hey Chew, think you could put that flashlight to good use on them?" Chewbacca growled, turned the flashlight back on, and waved it around, causing several of the Chiropters to fly out of control and crash into the ground. "Got 'em!"

"Not all of them" replied Han.

"Those cursed!" snarled Vesper.

"There's so many of them" said Luke.

"Good thing not all of them stayed" said Han. As they passed the goliath moths, the large insects were easily provoked and started flying alongside them. "Alright, we're almost out" They flew out of the cave with the goliath moths fluttering around them. "Yeah!" As the Chiropters reached the cave entrance, they hissed and stayed back out of the light.

"What are you waiting for; put your protection goggles on!" snapped Vesper. He and the other Chiropters pulled out goggles and put them on, allowing them to fly into the sunlight.

"They're…able to go into sunlight!" said Corea.

"What?!" exclaimed Han as he looked back "Damn it! I thought I had this covered!"

"The Empire must have given them those" said Luke "They're working for them"

"Brothers, attack!" snarled Vesper. The Chiropters swarmed at them.

"Jemek, we have a situation here" said Han into his comlink "These bat guys are after us and they have these goggle things that allow them to see in the light"

"That's not good" said Jemek out of his comlink.

"Yeah, think you could shoot them down or something?" asked Han.

"I'm afraid not" replied Jemek "You and your dactillion are still out there; if we open fire, we'll run the risk of shooting you down as well"

"Oh, right" replied Han "Any suggestions?"

"Try to land your dactillion back here so we can have a clear shot" replied Jemek.

"Right" said Han "Chewie, Corea; try to clear a path for us back to the landing pad"

"It'll be my pleasure, Han" said Corea. She and Chewbacca began shooting at the Chiropters around them, but the creatures were too fast and they only got a few of them.

"Damn!" said Corea. Luke looked carefully throughout the swarms of Chiropters until he saw Vesper, still carrying his lightsaber on his belt.

"There it is" said Luke. He stood up carefully on the dactillion and tried to balance himself.

"Luke, what are you doing?" asked Corea. At that moment, Luke leapt off and grabbed onto one of the Chiropter's feet. "Luke!"

"What's happ—" said Han before realizing what was happening "Oh no! Jedi boy's going off again!" Chewbacca growled. The Chiropter screamed and tried to shake Luke off, but he held on tight. He looked over to another Chiropter and leapt across to it. He did it over and over again until he finally reached Vesper and grabbed onto him from the back.

"Get off me!" snarled Vesper.

"He's crazy!" said Han "Well, that settles it; that old man's madness indeed rubbed off on him"

"Incoming!" exclaimed Corea. Mren screeched and dived down, slamming into the dactillion and causing it to cry out in fear.

"Hold on, guys!" exclaimed Han.

"I'll kill you all!" snarled Mren "I'll suck you dry!"

"No thank you!" said Han as he pulled his blaster out. He tried to aim at Mren but the constant shaking and spinning made it difficult. But within the madness, Chewbacca aimed his bowcaster and charged it up. Just as Mren lunged at Han, Chewbacca shot him and sent his body falling down into the sinkhole below. "Great to know you've always got my back, buddy" Chewbacca growled in response.

"You play a very dangerous game, Jedi!" snarled Vesper.

"I only play it when it's worth it!" said Luke. He extended his hand out, summoned his lightsaber, and ignited.

"No!" snarled Vesper. He instantly shook Luke off, causing him to fall off down into the sinkhole.

"Luke!" exclaimed Han "Hold on extra hard!" He dove down at high speed until they were directly underneath Luke with Chewbacca catching him. "Try to be more careful next time you do another stupid and dangerous thing; because who's going to save your butt if I'm not around?" He flew the dactillion up onto a platform and got himself off.

"After them!" snarled Vesper. He and the other Chiropters flew down towards the platform.

"Um, Jemek; think you could do something about this?" asked Han.

"Aim and fire at them!" yelled Jemek. The Utai at the turrets opened fire on the Chiropters, blasting a lot of them down, until the remaining ones retreated back into the cave.

"Halt!" said Jemek "There, they're all gone"

"Yeah, you may want to keep a close watch on that cave entrance and every other one around the area" said Han.

 _Meanwhile_

Qila sat in deep meditation, letting his mind drift back to his days as a Jedi, even remembering the events that led him to where he was now.

"Through the strength of the Force, I wish inner peace" said Qila 'By the power of the Force, I wish to see what troubles it" Suddenly, visions flashed before him so fast that he could not. "What is it? What is so powerful that it sends a tremor all the way to me?" Suddenly, he began to hear powerful breathing and an image of Vader appeared before him with a strange yellow energy appearing behind him.

"This is the day of reckoning for the Jedi!" said Vader "Your return ends now!"

"No!" exclaimed Qila "It can't be!" He leapt up and ran over to the window, opening it up and looking outside with shock. "It can't be…such death…such destruction…I can't…I can't…" As he slowly calmed himself down, he heard his own voice echoing in his head.

" _Qila…Qila, it's time…"_

"I…I can't…" said Qila "I can't go back…not to that…"

" _You don't have to rejoin the Jedi, but you can't stand by and let lives be lost…"_

Qila looked up at the sun, closed his eyes for a brief moment, and turned around towards a large cabinet. He opened it up and looked at the Jedi ceremonial robes that lay within. He then closed his eyes and extended his hand out, summoning lightsaber pieces to his hand. He slowly arranged the pieces together, bringing a lightsaber crystal into the middle of it, until eventually a lightsaber hilt lay in his hands.

"It's long overdue" said Qila. He ignited the golden blade of it.

 _Meanwhile_

As Luke looked down at his lightsaber, Han sat down beside him.

"Good to see it's still shiny" said Han "You know; what you did today was extremely risky and extremely idiotic"

"You're one to talk" said Luke.

"Eh; at least when I make dangerous decisions, they're at least for something that's worth it" said Han "I mean, I love my blaster but I wouldn't risk my life if it's so far out of my reach. Do you seriously care about that lightsaber more than your own life?"

"It's not like that" said Luke "This lightsaber belonged to my father; Obi-Wan gave it to me so I could honor him, so I intend to"

"Right" said Han "I suppose you could really use that thing; seeing as how those bats told the Imperials our plan, this campaign's going to go on longer than we'd originally hoped for" At that moment, Kota walked up to them.

"Skywalker, Chairman Medon is coming" said Kota "I think they may have made their decision" Luke stood himself up.

"Chairman Medon, I trust the Committee has made its decision" said Luke.

"We have" said Medon "After much debate, the Utapaun Committee has come to a unanimous decision; we will indeed fully join the Rebellion's cause. I hope the decision is not costly"

"Do not worry, you will not regret it" said Luke. At that moment, a rebel trooper ran up to Luke.

"Commander Skywalker, we received a message from Princess Leia Organa on Corellia" said the rebel trooper.

"What did she say?" asked Luke.

"She invites you and Captain Solo back to Corellia" replied the rebel trooper "She says it's for a special occasion"

"Well, here's the thing; we're kind of caught up in this whole extended battle thing and we can't really make exceptions" said Han.

"Do not worry, I'll take full command in the meantime" said Kota "If Princess Leia requests for you personally, then it is best not to disappoint"

"Right" said Han "Chewie, prep the _Falcon_ ; seems we'll be giving her worshipfulness a visit" Chewbacca growled.

 _Meanwhile_

"I am very disappointed in you, Vesper" said Vader "You had the Jedi and yet you failed to keep him"

"You must understand, Lord Vader, that we were caught off-guard" said Vesper "I am deeply sorry for this loss"

"That is not good enough" said Vader.

"I know" said Vesper "But simply give us one more chance, we'll retrieve the Jedi and help you claim—" Vader started force-choking him.

"No" said Vader.

"Lord Vader!" wheezed Vesper.

"I realize as of late that I have been relying too much on pawns recently, and it has cost me dearly; but no more!" said Vader shortly before he snapped Vesper's neck "This time, I will deal with things myself!"

 **Author's note #1** : I originally intended the villains to be Sugi arms dealers; but since they were already involved with the unused Utapau arc, I decided to create a new species in the form of the Chiropters. The goliath moths are also an original creation of mine.

 **Hellman76** : I actually haven't played _Saints Row_ so I wouldn't know about Johnny Gat.

 **ahsokatano191** : Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. In answer to your question from before; yes, there is something going on between Luke and Ahsoka

 **Just a Crazy Man** : I haven't heard of Awakening Rebellion, is that a mod for _Empire at War_?

 **CT7567Rules** : Don't worry, I intend for Rex to appear in full armor.


	19. Jedi Reckoning

**Jedi Reckoning**

 _As the Battle for Utapau rages on; Luke Skywalker and Han Solo have pulled out of the campaign on request by Princess Leia Organa, who wishes them to attend a memorial for her homeplanet Alderaan. Only a year ago, she witnessed firsthand as the Empire destroyed it with their brutal Death Star and killed millions; including her father Bail Organa!_

 _Meanwhile, Darth Vader, still focusing on the Imperial war effort and his search for Master Yoda, finds himself searching for further means to end the Jedi once and for all…_

 _Corellia_

Countless people stood outside the Alderaan memorial, each holding a single candle. At the head of them, Leia stood with Luke, Ahsoka, Han, Chewbacca, Corea, C-3PO, and R2-D2 by her side.

"Leia, are you alright?" asked Luke.

"It's still been one year after what happened to Alderaan" replied Leia "It's just…you just never fully recover from losing your home"

"I visited Alderaan once" said Ahsoka "It was a beautiful planet and great loss to everyone"

"I admit, it was quite a shocker" said Han. Chewbacca nudged him. "I am trying to be sentimental, Chewie"

"Please, Han; just this once, try to be respectful" said Corea.

"Alright" said Han. At that moment, Mon Mothma walked up to the podium and spoke into the microphone.

"For centuries, Alderaan was a symbol of peace and prosperity for the galaxy; it served the Galactic Republic and helped it, even when it was starting to show corruption" said Mon Mothma "And when the Empire was taking power, Alderaan was one of the first to resist it; and Bail Prestor Organa, who served the senate in the final years of the Republic, was one of the first to form the Rebellion. Alas; he was on Alderaan on the fateful day the Death Star destroyed it, and took millions of innocent lives" Leia looked over to a hologram of Bail and Breha Organa on their side. "Here to talk further about is Organa's daughter, Princess Leia of Alderaan" The crowd clapped as Leia walked up to the microphone.

"The Rebellion and the galaxy suffered a great loss on that day" said Leia "My father always despised men like the Emperor; so it was not surprising that took a stand, even before the Alliance was formed. And when the Rebellion was finally brought together, he gave full support. And I can still remember the fateful day. I was captured and brought aboard the Death Star; I begged for Alderaan to spared, but Grand Moff Tarkin didn't listen. The Empire destroyed the planet without a shred of mercy in them. I spent most of my life on Alderaan, to see…" Her eyes began to fill with tears. "…to see gone…and everyone I ever knew on it gone…I just…I just…I'm sorry"

"Geez!" said Han quietly.

 _Meanwhile on Coruscant_

A Human couple sat down in their apartment for dinner with their Rodian friend.

"Alright, it's ready" said the man.

"And it smells good" said the woman.

"I feel…uneasy about this" said the Rodian.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine" said the woman.

"I'm just…maybe it would be better if I went to the lower levels with the others" said the Rodian "At least then you won't have to suffer the consequences I would have to"

"Hey, it's fine" said the woman whilst patting the Rodian on the shoulder "We got through the last few inspections unnoticed and there isn't another one this week"

"So relax" said the man as he laid out the table "The Empire may be holding the galaxy in an iron fist; but right now, we've got a dinner to worry about"

"Well…okay" said the Rodian "You've been so generous to me and…barely anyone would help a lone Rodian trapped on the surface"

"You were an innocent in need" said the woman "We couldn't just turn you away"

"Now let's raise our glasses" said the man. The three of them raised their glasses. "To the future; hopefully the Alliance topples down this Empire and we'll all be—" Suddenly, the apartment door was forced open and a group of stormtroopers entered.

"By Coruscant!" exclaimed the woman.

"Stun the Non-Human!" said the stormtrooper commander. One of the stormtroopers aimed his blaster and the Rodian and stunned him. "Take him away" Two stormtroopers walked up to the unconscious Rodian and pulled him away by the wrists.

"What is the meaning of this?!" asked the man whilst standing up "There isn't supposed to be another inspection scheduled for the rest of the week!"

"New timetable, I'm afraid" said the stormtrooper commander "Inspections are to be more frequent per week"

"We weren't informed of this!" said the woman.

"Schedules will no longer be shown to the public" said the stormtrooper "By order of Grand Viziers Mas Ameddaa and Sate Pestage and signed by Emperor Palpatine himself"

"What are you going do to him?" asked the man.

"He'll live" replied the stormtrooper commander "He is to be processed and placed back into the lower levels of Imperial city"

"You can't do this, he has a right!" said the man. Two stormtroopers aimed their blasters at him.

"Enough!" said the stormtrooper commander whilst gesturing to the other two stormtroopers "There are consequences to you two as well; but since you're young, I'll let you off with a simple warning" He pulled out a datapad and typed into it. "This is a fine to be paid up by the end of the week" He handed the datapad to the man who looked at it.

"5,000 credits?!" said the man "You're kidding!"

"I am not" said the stormtrooper commander "Sorry, but there can be no exceptions"

"But where are we supposed to get that sort of money?" asked the woman.

"Find a job that pays that sort of money, the Empire pays well to reliable employees" said the stormtrooper commander "And I would suggest never doing this again; the punishment will be much more severe" He and the other stormtroopers left the apartment.

 _Meanwhile_

"Bring them all out!" yelled Field Commander Brucco. The streets were filled with stormtroopers dragging Non-Humans out of apartment buildings.

"Move it!" said a stormtrooper whilst bashing an Ithorian at the back with his blaster.

"Let me go!" exclaimed a Twi'lek woman as two stormtroopers pulled her out by the arms. A look of scorn befell on Brucco's face when he saw her.

"Commander, this one put up a big fight" said another stormtrooper who walked up to Brucco "She destroyed our weapons but we managed to outnumber and overpower her eventually. What should we do to her now?"

"Send her to processing with the others" replied Brucco "Use extra force if you necessary" As the roundup on the streets intensified, Vader looked down at it from his palace with MOXAL standing beside him projecting a hologram of the Emperor.

"Operation: Accumulate is going than I could have ever suspected" said the Emperor "Very soon, the surface will devoid of any Non-Humans"

"This is an unnecessary use of Imperial forces" said Vader "Surely it is better spent on the war effort"

"You pity them?" said the Emperor.

"Hardly" replied Vader "But with the Imperial forces spreading thin across the galaxy, we need as many as we can to drive the rebels back"

"In due time, my friend" said the Emperor "Right now, their services are beings used to make an example. Long have Non-Humans prospered on the surface in secret, but no more. With our new timetable and secrecy, we'll catch any who hide and send them back to the underworld where they belong"

"And what of the Jedi?" asked Vader "There about ten Jedi within the Rebellion currently still alive"

"Exactly, ten" said the Emperor "There used to be hundreds; and before that, thousands. And most of the Jedi in the Rebellion are not even actual, surviving younglings and padawans with no official training do not hold the same threat of a Jedi Master. Now we hold the bulk of Force-sensitives with our various Dark Side Adepts"

"And what of Master Yoda?" asked Vader "We never found him"

"Wherever he is, he is of no immediate threat to us" said the Emperor "Even a Jedi as powerful as him could stand no chance against the entirety of our military"

"He was the Jedi Grand Master" said Vader "No single Jedi has the same amount of knowledge within them than him"

"Perhaps, but we ended the Great Jedi Purge years ago because they no longer possessed the threat to us that they once did" said the Emperor "Focus on what's important, Lord Vader; and right now, it is not the Jedi"

"I understand, my master" said Vader. The hologram vanished. Vader sat himself down on a chair and began to tap his finger against his fist. It was then that he heard a familiar voice ring into his head.

" _Vader…"_

Vader turned his head up and looked around.

" _Vader…"_

"What is it?" asked Vader "Who are you?"

" _Come to Ziost…_

 _I have something for you there…"_

Vader stood himself up and walked out of the room.

 _Meanwhile_

"Ackbar, a moment" said Mon Mothma whilst on her computer.

"What is it?" asked Ackbar as he walked over to her desk.

"Do you know anything about this?" asked Mon Mothma. She turned her computer around and Ackbar had a look at what was on it.

"Election?" said Ackbar "I received no information on an election anytime soon. How long has this been for?"

"According to this, it came up only recently" said Mon Mothma.

"But I don't understand; with the war going on, an election for Chief-of-State would only slow everything down" said Ackbar "Whose idea was this?"

"It was mine" replied a voice. Ackbar turned around to see Borsk Fey'lya entering the room.

"Fey'lya!" exclaimed Ackbar.

"Ackbar" said Fey'lya.

"Councilor Fey'lya, what is the meaning of this?" asked Mon Mothma as she turned the computer around "And why weren't been notified about it?"

"I was in discussion with the other members of the council and we came to an agreement that given the recent events it would better to reconsider our leader" replied Fey'lya.

"Reconsider?" said Mon Mothma "We're at war"

"But politics should remain intact nonetheless" said Fey'lya "After all; without them, everything would sink into anarchy"

"This is all an attempt to seize power, isn't it!?" said Ackbar.

"Not at all" replied Fey'lya "I merely think it would be better if we run by someone who wasn't so easily swayed by a Sith Lord"

"Havdori was not a Sith Lord" said Ackbar.

"And how are you supposed to prove that?" asked Fey'lya.

"One of our closest allies is a Jedi and actually fought with him" replied Ackbar "He can vouch for us on that one"

"According to you that is" said Fey'lya "But all I've heard from witnesses is that he was a Force-user wielding a red lightsaber. If he is not Sith, then what is he?"

"He was a Dark Jedi, we've already made it clear enough" replied Ackbar.

"It remains the same however; Havdori was a darksider who controlled Mon Mothma" said Fey'lya "Although we have not discovered any connections to the Empire so far, we know that they have their fair share of Force-users. It makes you wonder; if was working for the Empire, imagine the catastrophe we'd be in"

"If you were Chief-of-State, he would have controlled you instead" said Ackbar.

"Is that right?" asked Fey'lya.

"It is" replied Ackbar "The Bothans may have long since earned their way, but you used your influence among them to secure a position of power and you continue to do so. Are you really convinced that we'll allow this election to go forth?"

"You view me as a threat, don't you?" said Fey'lya "Very well; if you'd like, you could remove me from my position. But you'll only be sending the rest of the Bothans away as well"

"What?" said Ackbar.

"When I am out of office, I cannot guarantee that the Bothans will continue supporting your cause" said Fey'lya "In fact; with their representative kicked out, I imagine they won't be that pleased"

"Are you…blackmailing us?" said Ackbar.

"It's just business I'm afraid" said Fey'lya.

"I can't believe—" said Ackbar.

"Enough!" said Mon Mothma "If an election is truly the will of the council, then I will comply" A smug smile formed on Fey'lya's face.

"Mon Mothma, no!" said Ackbar.

"As Chief-of-State, this is my choice" said Mon Mothma "And I choose to go along with this"

"Then let the best politician win" said Fey'lya "I look forward to your competition" He exited the office.

"With all due respect, Mon Mothma, accepting his challenge was an unwise mistake" said Ackbar.

"I had little choice" said Mon Mothma.

"That does not decrease the magnitude of the situation" said Ackbar "You're walking right into his trap; when you play Fey'lya's game, he won't hold back on you at all"

"I am well aware of that" said Mon Mothma "But he represents the Bothans; if he we send him out of office, we do not know how they'll react. And right now, we need as many allies as we can gather; if the Bothans withdraw support, who knows how many more will follow. Besides, I have heard doubts going around the Alliance that; some people think they we are not forming the next Republic, they think that we're only making our Empire to rise up against the current one"

"That's absurd!" said Ackbar.

"I know; but the slightest doubt could shake the greatest belief" said Mon Mothma "Perhaps a fair election is what is needed to convince everyone that we intend to rebuild the Republic"

"With Fey'lya, it will never be fair" said Ackbar "For the record, I do not approve of this"

"I know" said Mon Mothma "But right now it's our best option"

 _Meanwhile_

"Get these crates onboard" said Martarg as a group of Nosaurians loaded crates aboard a Gozanti Cruiser.

"Martarg, what's happening here?" asked Han as he and Luke walked up to them "Are you packing up and shipping off"

"I think so" said Martarg.

"Why?" asked Han "Where are you going?"

"We're off to fight the Empire" replied Martarg.

"Then why not stay with the Alliance?" asked Luke.

"We're off to fight on our own terms" replied Martarg.

"On your own terms?" said Luke "Surely things would be better if you stay with us; the Alliance could use more forces"

"Besides, your numbers seemed to have gone down quite a bit" said Han.

"Not all of us are leaving" said Martarg "Thortak and some of the more scarred members of our group are retiring from the fighting. Take care of them for us. As for where we're going, you're not the only resistance group out there. Sure; you're the largest, but not the only"

"And they're not going alone" said a voice. Luke turned to see Acashto and Alaranaa walking towards them.

"Acashto, Alarnaa; what are you doing here?" asked Luke.

"Ahsoka doesn't want us around any longer" replied Alarnaa "So we decided not to bother her anymore"

"Guys; I know Ahsoka's upset, but deep down she cares" said Luke "You just need to give it time"

"I fear that might not be enough" said Acashto.

"Does…Does she know?" asked Luke.

"We tried contacting her but she was…more than reluctant" replied Alarnaa.

"She just doesn't want us around, and I can't blame her" said Acashto "We should of told her everything the moment we met her; heck, mom and dad should have told her the moment they met her"

"We all have things we regret, but we can't change them" said Luke "So where will you go from here?"

"When we left Shili, our sole intention was to meet and help Ahsoka; but things have turned out much different than we originally had planned" said Alarnaa "Very few Togruta ever leave Shili, so I guess our next move is to explore the galaxy"

"And they're taking a guide with them" said a voice. Luke and Han turned around to see Latts walking up to them and flinging her arms over Acashto and Alarnaa's shoulders. "Someone who knows the galaxy well"

"Leaving the Rebellion as well?" said Han "Quite quick if you ask me, Latts"

"Best to quit while you're ahead" said Latts.

"That sounds a lot like me" said Han "Perhaps a bit too much like me"

 _Meanwhile_

Luke walked over to Kota who sat in the remembrance garden with his arm in a sling.

"Finally moved off of Utapau" said Luke.

"The battle was ultimately short but it was brutal" said Kota "We only just destroyed the Imperial camp and get away, but the Imperial fleet surrounding the planet got away and I'm not sure how much longer they'll stay away"

"They never do" said Luke.

"There's something else you wish to ask, isn't there?" said Kota.

"There…There is" said Luke "Do you remember about a year ago when we first met and I asked you about the Jedi ways?"

"Yes, you asked me whether or not I would continue train you" replied Kota "And I declined"

"So did Rachi Sitra and K'Kruhk" said Luke.

"Luke, we don't hold biased against you for starting your training later than most" said Kota "In fact, I started my training at the age of eighteen"

"Then what is it?" asked Luke.

"It's not the right time" replied Kota.

"Not the right time?!" said Luke.

"It's not what you think" said Kota "With this war and with what happened to the Jedi Order, training someone would be folly. There isn't even a proper Order left"

"What are you talking about?" asked Luke "There's you, K'Kruhk, Ahsoka—"

"We may have survived, but the Order didn't" said Kota "It was not only Jedi the Empire and Vader destroyed and corrupted during the purge, our culture was utterly destroyed. Thousands of years of Jedi work all torn down and reduced to nothing but ashes and remnants. A new Jedi Order can only form once the Sith and the Empire are no longer in a ruling state of the galaxy; and even then, it won't be the same Jedi Order we lost. It will be a new one, built upon the old but ultimately something new altogether. There's something else, isn't there?"

"You were the first Jedi I met after I lost Obi-Wan" said Luke "My time with him was brief so I only got the basics on the Jedi way and code so…I guess I just got a little shock when you told me about the whole "relationships" issue. Maybe if I was trained under the old Order, I would have—"

"You can have a relationship if you want" said Kota.

"Excuse me?" asked Luke.

"A lot of the stuff I told you was simply me holding onto the old ways and I will admit that a lot of it was flawed and often brought out the worst of people" replied Kota "It is hard a good middle ground for the future of the Jedi. Rachi Sitra believes the Jedi must adapt to the new world, even it means abandoning many of the old ways; K'Kruhk however having been a master of the old Order believes that we must preserve the old ways, regardless of the consequences. Things like this would be easier if we had a council with us"

"So…about relationships—" said Luke.

"You're free to be with anyone you want, but I warn you to be careful" said Kota "Try to choose carefully; because you need to bear in mind of the possible consequences. If it's someone on the frontline with you, they might always be constantly at risk; and that's something that could shake you"

"You seemed to be pretty accepting of something that was frowned upon by the Jedi Order" said Luke.

"I guess it's because I've known for some time that love doesn't always lead to the dark side" said Kota "It can even save you sometimes" He turned towards a hologram of Galen Marek.

"What is it?" asked Luke.

"Ever heard of the Force-sensitive race called the Miraluka?" asked Kota.

"A little, but not really" replied Luke.

"They have no physical eyes, instead relying upon Force sight to guide them" said Kota "And yet they cannot see holograms. I've been blind for five years and needed the Force to guide me as well; and yet, I can see holograms still. I'm not sure why, but I can. I can definitely tell that the hologram I am looking at now is that of Galen Marek"

"Leia told me a bit about him in the past" said Luke "He was the founder of the Rebellion. I mean; there were already several resistances against the Empire but he brought them altogether to create the Alliance"

"He was more than just that" said Kota "It all began five years ago; I was a rogue Jedi on the run from the Empire with only my militia to support me, basing myself within the Outer Rim to avoid the Imperial's gaze. But everything changed the day I revealed myself to the Empire. I had no idea that what would happen there would not only shape the course of history but would change my life forever"

" _Over the course of the Great Jedi Purge, I had made several strikes at the Empire in an attempt to draw out Darth Vader; but they were unsuccessful in that factor. So instead I took a daring move a crucial TIE fighter construction facility above Nar Shaddaa, revealing myself to the Empire._

 _At first I thought I was successful having been given conformation of a mysterious Imperial ship en-route; my beliefs were deepened when my men told me of a mysterious lightsaber wielder heading in my direction. But as I prepared myself in the control for a battle that could very well be my last, I was shocked to find the attacker wasn't Vader after all but instead was a young man wielding a red lightsaber._

 _Galen Marek, son of Jedi Master Kento Marek and taken by Vader since he was but a young boy under the alias of Starkiller, stood before me, awaiting attack; it didn't take long for me to realize that he was merely a pawn. Whether Dark Jedi or an actual Sith Apprentice, he was sent by Vader to the dirty work. At first I underestimated him due to his age, but he proved to be stronger and more skilled than I had originally thought; that's when I decided to increase measures. I dropped the control room and sent it plummeting down to the moon below and continued to fight. At the climax of the battle, I got a brief glimpse at his future; I told him that Vader would not always be his master and that I would still have a part to play. But that is when he struck forward and hit my eyes, blinding me permanently, before pushing me out of the control room._

 _I survived the fall, but the shock of losing my eyesight was so great that my link to the Force was cut off. I spent the next few days drifting from planet to planet, cantina to cantina, barely making out the deaths of Kazdan Paratus and Shaak Ti and losing hope every day. That was until one day he came before me again, asking for my help; at first I declined, claiming that I was now useless, but he was able to pull me along. I soon figured out that he was trying to create a resistance force to fight the Empire and he needed my help to gather the Emperor's most powerful enemies having been instructed by Vader to do so. During our travels, things began to change within me. My time as a Jedi General in the Clone Wars had made me reliant on military tactics and the like; but now without my eyes and having been made downtrodden, I turned to the Force for guidance and found my way back._

 _But it wasn't just me, it was him too; he had changed so much since we first met. He was still filled with the rage and anger that Vader had grown in him since he was a boy, but now that was beginning to quell due to something Vader had not intended; a bright spot within him that kept him from fully going over to the dark side. He had grown close to his pilot Juno Eclipse who had been branded a traitor to the Empire; her very presence gave him segregation from the darkness._

 _Together, we brought together the founders of the Alliance; Bail Organa, Princess Leia, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis, all senators who had stood up against the Empire. With the Corellian Treaty, the Alliance to Restore the Republic was assured. But something happened then that Galen had not intended; Vader was secretly tracking his work and followed him to Corellia. It was all a trick; he had instructed Galen to bring the Emperor's enemies together with secretly the sole purpose of capturing them. After presumably killing Galen, Vader brought us back to the unfinished Death Star where we were brought before the Emperor himself. As he gloated before us on his throne on how our deaths would serve as a reminder to the galaxy; we were surprised to find that Galen had come for us, having survived with the help of Juno Eclipse._

 _At first, he fought Vader and almost killed him as vengeance for all the things he had done; but as the Emperor delighted in seeing a possible new apprentice before him, I attacked the old man. But he struck back, blasting with force-lightning. As Galen was about to finish Vader off, he turned to the Emperor and attacked him until seemingly defeating him. As he was about to strike him down, I came to his and told him not to; I was unforgiving for everything the Emperor had down to the galaxy and the Jedi, but I wasn't going to stand by and allow him to give in to his hate. But as we turned to leave, the Emperor attacked me again; but Galen stepped in and blocked it as much as he could. He told me to leave and protect the senators and I complied; we escaped, but he was ultimately killed by the Emperor._

 _We regrouped and vowed to finish what he had started in the form of the Alliance, using the Marek family emblem as a symbol to rally behind. A symbol of hope"_

"Our strength has grown and grown over the years; but if it was no for Galen Marek, there would be nothing at all" said Kota.

"So that's how the war began" said Luke.

"This war is pivotal" said Kota "It may not be the end of all wars, but it is a very important one. Whether we win or whether we lose, it is going to change the face of the galaxy forever"

 _Meanwhile at Ziost_

Darth Vader's TIE Advanced came out of hyperspace above Ziost and landed outside a large citadel.

"The dark power has led me here" said Vader "Whatever lies within here is what I have come for" He walked through the battered down gates and through the desolate surroundings. Suddenly, a giant snake creature with two heads and covered in downy fluff burst out of the ground. The snake hissed and burst frills out of its two necks. Vader ignited his lightsaber and pointed it towards the snake. The snake hissed again and knocked Vader off his feet with its tale. Vader pointed his lightsaber towards the snake as it lunged forward towards him, only for it to stop suddenly.

"Shhh…" said a voice. Vader turned to see Venefic walking towards the snake. As he got closer, he began rubbing it on its forehead. "Be calm"

"Venefic!" said Vader.

"Surprised to see me?" said Venefic.

"I knew I sensed a familiar presence" said Vader "I didn't know you had learnt how to control animals"

"The creatures of this planet can be quelled, for a short while" said Venefic. The snake went back into the ground.

"Why have you brought me here, Venefic?" asked Vader.

"I didn't bring you here, I requested you and you complied" replied Venefic.

"If you've lured me here to kill me, you will have made a grave mistake" said Vader.

"Relax, I'm not here to kill you" said Venefic "I come bearing a gift"

"And why should I trust you?" asked Vader "I once offered you a position within the Empire and you turned it down"

"After you see what I have for you, you won't want to turn it down" replied Venefic.

"Fine, then show me this gift before I tire of your delaying" said Vader.

"Right this way" said Venefic as he gestured off to a path. The two turned and walked down it, leading them into a large cavern filled with lit torches on the wall. "Here it is" What lay before them was gigantic ship-like construct composed of a giant grey sphere with various rectangular objects on the side.

"I have heard of such weapons before" said Vader "If this is a fake—"

"It is real" said Venefic "You know it is. It was placed here thousands of years ago by the dark lord Darth Revan himself; keeping it a secret from everyone, especially his own apprentice. With the power of this, you could wipe out a whole civilization"

"Why not use it yourself?" asked Vader.

"I have no need for it" said Venefic "You on the other hand—"

"You expect me to take this and expect you want nothing more?" said Vader "What is the hidden meaning of this?"

"Nothing" replied Venefic "Merely to part on good terms and to show you that I have no intention of being a threat to you"

"And how do I know this is not merely a ploy for something greater?" asked Vader.

"You'll just have to" replied Venefic. He walked over to the construct and placed his hand on it, activating a panel like light and pulling out a yellow ball of light.

"What are you doing?" asked Vader.

"Giving you a power you would have never known before!" said Venefic. He released the ball of light from his hand which flew at Vader and slammed into his chest, driving him back. As Vader looked down at his chest, he could see the ball of light sinking into it with a flash. "You are now one! Use it for whatever purpose you see fit; and I indeed mean "whatever" way" As he silently crept back into the shadows, Vader looked up at the weapon and found that he could feel it working inside him. A large circular mark on the weapon shone up bright yellow.

 _Meanwhile_

"So…about the whole relationships thing, have you…have you ever—" said Luke.

"Me?" asked Kota.

"Uh, yeah" replied Luke "I mean, I hope I didn't offend—"

"It's only natural you'd ask eventually" said Kota "I dedicated my life to two things; the Jedi ways and the Republic military, leaving little time for other things in life. But it was not totally bereft of love"

"So who was it?" asked Luke.

"A politician and a senator" replied Kota.

"It's always a senator" said Luke. Kota turned to him with a confused look. "Just something Ahsoka told me. So what happened between you and this senator?"

"We grew apart" replied Kota "We had an infatuation, but we both knew we couldn't get anywhere further due to the code and I couldn't drag her down with it. I stuck to the Jedi Order while she went off and got married, but I honestly don't think it lasted long"

"Had you ever thought of what would happen if…you know, you left the Order to be with her?" asked Luke.

"Sometimes, but I don't dwell on things that simply weren't" replied Kota "There's only what was, what is here and now, and potential futures; those are the things you should focus on, not…" At that moment, he grabbed the side of his head.

"What's—" said Luke shortly before he grabbed the side of his head as well.

"You feel it too?" asked Kota.

"It's like…it's like some sort of powerful shockwave through the Force" said Luke "I've never felt anything like it"

"Neither have I" said Kota "We should gather everyone together"

 _Meanwhile_

"Captain, come here" said a rebel officer aboard a Rebel space station orbiting within Corellia's fleet.

"What's the problem?" asked Captain Snond (a male Sullustan captain).

"There appears to be something coming from hyperspace" replied the rebel officer.

"Is it Imperial?" asked Snond.

"Doesn't appear to be" replied the rebel officer "In fact, its shape doesn't match any ship on our archives; Imperial or not"

"Then what is it?" asked Snonb. Suddenly, the weapon came out of hyperspace; the rectangular objects now spinning around it at high speed and projecting a yellow force field around it. "My word…this thing…it's…it's almost…biblical!"

"Wait, what's that on in?" asked the rebel officer. Snonb looked out carefully and noticed something small and black standing on the weapon, realizing instantly that it was Darth Vader.

"I have to inform Ackbar of this!" exclaimed Snonb. He rushed over to the strategy table and brought up a hologram of Ackbar.

"Captain Snonb, what is it?" asked Ackbar.

"Admiral, an unidentified craft has entered the system" replied Snonb "And I think I saw D—" Suddenly, the weapon charged up a powerful yellow energy and shot the beam out at the space station, destroying it.

 _Meanwhile_

As Luke and Kota walked out of the memorial garden, they looked up into the sky and saw the explosion of ships.

"What's that?" asked Luke.

"Trouble" replied Kota.

"General Kota, do you read me?" asked Ackbar out of Kota's comlink "General Kota, are you there?"

"What is it, Ackbar?" asked Kota.

"I just got a report from Captain Snonb" replied Ackbar "He told me that an unidentified craft has entered the system. He was going to tell me more but his ship was destroyed before he could, which implies heavily that the unidentified craft is indeed hostile.

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Kota "Snonb's was in charge the planet from Imperial attacks; without, we could be facing an full-scale attack here"

"I'm already mounting the defenses of air and ground forces" said Ackbar "We don't know what to expect; but given what's happened so far, it's nothing good" At that moment, Ahsoka and Rachi Sitra rushed up to them.

"Hey guys, did you hear what just happened?" asked Ahsoka.

"We saw it from here" replied Luke.

"We have to be on high alert" said Sitra "With no knowledge of what is coming our way; we have to open to—"

"Uh, guys?" said Ahsoka. It was then that they all noticed that a large shadow had fallen on them. They all looked up to see the weapon looming over them.

"Great C'baoth's ghost!" exclaimed Kota.

"It is a ghost, and one from the past nonetheless" said a voice. The four of them looked up to see Vader standing on the weapon and looking down at them.

"Vader, what is the meaning of this?" asked Sitra "What is this thing you've brought?"

"This is the Reckoning" replied Vader "It is an ancient Sith weapon designed to destroy everything I deem it to. It does more than simply kill you, it destroys you"

"So, I suppose it's fair to assume that you killed those men up there" said Kota whilst he and the others ignited their lightsabers.

"What would have taken a fleet almost a day to complete was little more than a matter of minutes" said Vader.

"Then why wait?" said Luke "Why not finish us off now? Are you just going to monologue or actually do something?"

"In due time" replied Vader "But first, I have other things to attend to; the time has come for the galaxy to learn what happens when they side with the Jedi and the Rebellion" The Reckoning turned around and flew off towards Coronet City.

"The city!" exclaimed Ahsoka.

"That Sith Lord!" said Sitra "I knew he was willing to go to any measures to get what he wanted, but this is just crazy"

"Admiral Ackbar, Vader is controlling the unidentified craft" said Kota into his comlink "It's a powerful weapon that he used to blast through the fleet"

"Where is he now?" asked Ackbar out of his comlink.

"Over Coronet City" replied Kota "He's going to target civilians"

"Are there any Imperial ships nearby?" asked Ackbar.

"No, he appears to have come alone" replied Kota "In fact; I don't think I could imagine the Emperor allowing him of all people to use something this powerful without himself personally involved"

"I'll move the military to the city to protect the civilians and evacuate as many as we can" said Ackbar.

"Take caution, the weapon appears to have some kind of shielding around it" said Kota "I'd advise precaution"

"Acknowledged" said Ackbar "I'll be leading the attack so I request you guard Mon Mothma while I'm preoccupied with the defense"

"Will do" said Kota "Sitra, gather the other six and tell them to come to Mon Mothma's office. We're just fortunate that all of them came for the Alderaan memorial"

"Why are we all going?" asked Sitra.

"Mon Mothma is the Alliance Chief-of-State" replied Kota "Vader would not throw away a chance to capture her alive. Except we'll be waiting for him; and then we'll take him"

"With the deaths of Hom Ferm and Heten Feless, there's only ten of us left; and only you, me, and K'Kruhk are masters" said Sitra "Are you sure we can take him?"

"It is true that we no longer have the numbers we once had before the Clone Wars" replied Kota "However, there haven't been this many Jedi in one place for a long time; besides, Vader no longer has the same element of surprise that he once had. We may just have an opportunity to stop Vader once and for all this time"

"Do you want us to come with you?" asked Luke.

"Skywalker, Tano; go down to the city and help with the defense and evacuations" replied Kota.

"With respect, Master Kota; you're going to need all of us on this one" said Ahsoka.

"The forces in the city will need help as well" said Kota "That's what's important right now"

"But—" said Luke.

"We have no time to discuss this!" said Kota "Go down to the city now; or a lot of people are going to die!"

"Got it!" said Luke. He and Ahsoka ran off.

"Do you think this plan is going to work?" asked Sitra.

"For the sake of everything, I hope it does" said Kota.

 _Meanwhile_

The Reckoning flew throughout Coronet City, blasting away at buildings and other structures as it went. Countless civilians screamed and ran away in fear.

"Quickly get out of here!" said a rebel trooper as he helped civilians out. Ackbar and a group of AATs and Hailfire droids gathered in a clearing. Ackbar got out a pair of electrobinoculars and looked out at the Reckoning carefully.

"Prepare the weapons to maximum" said Ackbar.

"What part do you wish us to aim at?" asked Lieutenant Orin Toa (a male Nautolan lieutenant with teal skin).

"Try the gaps between the armor" replied Ackbar.

"Do you think it will do much damage?" asked Orin.

"It's purely speculative but it's our best guess" replied Ackbar "This weapon just came out of nowhere so I have no idea how it truly works, we'll have to work on guesses" The vehicles around them aimed their weapons at the Reckoning. "Steady…steady…FIRE!" The vehicles shot at the Reckoning but there was no effect as it crashed against its shield.

"My turn!" said Vader. He turned the Reckoning over towards them and charged the weapon up.

"Watch out!" exclaimed Ackbar as he and the others ran out of the weapon's way, some of them only just making it. "By the Force, we just lost half our artillery!" As Vader looked down at the flames and devastation of the city, the fire reflected on his eyeholes, he turned his head towards Mon Mothma's office. He leapt down and smashed through the window of Mon Mothma's office and landed just behind her desk.

"Mon Mothma" said Vader.

"Darth Vader" said Mon Mothma "I don't suppose you've come for a negotiation, have you?"

"I thought you of all would above such foolish speech" said Vader "Now silence, you're coming with me. Once the destruction of Corellia is over, I will take you back to Coruscant; the execution of the Alliance Chief-of-State should sever the rebels' support"

"You won't take me alive" said Mon Mothma "Even if you kill, there'll always be others who will resist the Empire at any cost"

"This is not an option" said Vader. He grabbed her by the wrist. "Come with me" Suddenly, a green blade ignited and was placed across his throat.

"Stand down, Vader!" said a voice. Vader turned his head to see Kota standing there with his lightsaber.

"Master Kota, an unexpected surprise" said Vader.

"It doesn't stop there" said Kota. Suddenly, Sitra and Katooni Dragg* emerged from the left side of the room and ignited their lightsabers, K'Kruhk and Chelaa then appeared in the right side of the room and ignited their lightsabers, and finally Zatt and Ganodi leapt down from the roof in the center of the room and ignited their lightsabers.

"Quite a gathering you have assembled here" said Vader "Pity that it was all in vain" He grabbed Mon Mothma and placed her across his chest, ignited his lightsaber, and placed it across her neck. "Surrender or she dies here" Suddenly, Maris leapt down from the roof above Vader and stabbed her blades into his shoulders, causing him to release Mon Mothma. A group of rebel honor guards and rebel troopers arrived into the room and helped escort Mon Mothma out.

"Get her to safety" said Kota "We'll handle Vader" He then turned to Vader who got himself up with little difficulty. "You're all alone, Vader; surrender while you still can"

"You say that as if it is of major difficulty" said Vader "I had intended on saving your deaths for last; but if you want to die now, who am I to disappoint?" He began clashing with the eight of them all at once.

 _Meanwhile_

Han and Chewbacca arrived at an area in Coronet City on an XP-38 sport airspeeder and stopped in a clearing in the city. At that moment, Corea landed in front of them.

"I came as quick as I could" said Corea "Did I miss much?"

"We only just got here" replied Han "This is it, this is the last place Leia was seen. We have our instructions to get her out of here quick" At that moment, Han heard a familiar raised voice and smirked. "And I think I know where to start. You two, stay here and be on guard. If that superweapon thing comes our way, call us and get out of here" He ran off in the direction of raised voices and found Leia helping hand off children off to their fleeing parents.

"Here you go" said Leia as she handed Rodian child off to his father.

"Thank you" said the Rodian before running off.

"Well, should have known you'd be doing something like this" said Han.

"What are you doing here, Han?" asked Leia.

"Saving you, what does it look like?" replied Han.

"And why exactly?" asked Leia.

"Well; I have specific orders to take you to safety, that's why" replied Han.

"So now you're following orders?" said Leia

"Maybe, but I'm also doing it out of common sense" said Han "I mean; this whole place is in chaos, do you really want to stay out here?"

"Sorry, Han" said Leia "I have to find these childrens' parents first"

"Then I could always just make you leave" said Han.

"And how exactly?" asked Leia "Besides, I only have a few kids left" Han sighed.

"Fine, just don't take too long" said Han "Remember, we're trying to stay alive here"

"Thank you" said Leia. She turned to a young Selkath and picked her up. "Where's your parents little one?" Han sighed.

 _Meanwhile_

"We have you outnumbered, Vader; fighting back is pointless" said Sitra.

"That's what the Empire was saying to you for years" said Vader. Suddenly, he force-pushed all of them back. Kota got himself up and started dueling him again. "This is what you always wanted, Kota. To draw me out so you could face me. It's a shame that it only took the lives of millions to achieve this" Sitra rushed forward and swung her lightsaber at him, only for Vader to meet it with his. "Rachi Sitra; unless I am much mistaken, those are the robes of a Jedi archaeologist. Considering how the Emperor and I made short work of such Jedi artifacts, you may want to retire" As Sitra and Kota pushed forward against him, he let out a powerful force-pushed and sent them across the room. K'Kruhk leapt up behind him and plunged down with his lightsaber, only for Vader to meet it. "For someone who considers teaching to be the true path of the Jedi, you sure don't shy away from a fight, K'Kruhk"

"Not from padawan killers like you, Vader!" snapped K'Kruhk.

"Padawans are just too easy, as I and General Krenin would know" said Vader "It's almost not worth the sport" As K'Kruhk bared his teeth and pushed forward, Vader force-lifted him and started force-choking him. Chelaa gasped and bared her teeth as K'Kruhk was flung into a bookshelf.

"You'll regret that!" said Chelaa "C'mon everyone!" She, Katooni, Zatt, and Ganodi charged at Vader and started dueling him all at once.

"Come now, students; if the masters couldn't defeat me, what makes you think you could?" said Vader.

 _Meanwhile_

"There you go" said Leia as she gave a Nikto boy to his mother "That's the last of them. I've already sent the ones without parents off with rebel troopers"

"Good, now let's just get out of here before we all die already" said Han. As they turned to leave, the Reckoning rose up and charged its weapon up. "Watch out!" The two of them ducked for cover as the Reckoning blasted at the building behind them and caused debris to crash down on top of them. As the Reckoning turned and started blasting around the rest of the city, Han emerged from the rubble. "The Empire sure has a thing for giant orbs with a powerful weapon" He looked around. "Leia!?" He turned to the rubble and began searching through it until Leia pulled herself out and coughed. "Leia, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Han" said Leia "Just a little shaken up" As she pulled herself out further, she hissed in pain.

"Wow, that's one busted ankle" said Han.

"It's just a little twisted" said Leia "I'll be fine if I—" As she tried to get herself back up, she collapsed down again and just barely held in a scream of pain. Han slowly walked over to her.

"Easy now" said Han as he picked her up in his arms.

"Okay, what's the big idea?" snipped Leia.

"Sorry, your magnificence; just trying to help" said Han "If you have to complain, do it later. Let's just get out of here and back to Corea and Chewie" He walked out of the area.

 _Meanwhile_

"We can't harm that thing while it has that infernal shield up!" snapped Ackbar "We have to get it off somehow"

"But how?" asked Orin "I mean; if someone has the blueprints, I'd be more than glad to pick them up" Ackbar scratched his chin and examined the Reckoning carefully, finding himself fascinated by the spinning objects.

"Those objects around it, the ones that are not covered by the shield; something tells me that they're more than just show" said Ackbar.

"Do you think they're projecting the shield?" asked Orin.

"I don't know for certain; but given our current situation, it's perhaps our best option at the moment" replied Ackbar.

"Should we assemble the artillery together?" asked Orin.

"It's too far away and we've got too few of tanks left to pose a creditable threat against them" replied Ackbar "We'll have to try something else. Antilles…"

"Yes admiral" replied Wedge out of his comlink "What is it?"

"We need to get the weapon's shield down and we think those spinning objects around it might be projecting it" replied Ackbar "We need you and the other pilots to go in close and shoot them down. But be careful; one blast from it and you're destroyed. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Let's find out" replied Wedge. A squadron of X-Wings flew over them and towards the Reckoning. "Okay guys; remember to shoot down those objects, but stay out of that beam"

"Those things are going at high speed, I'm not sure if we can hit them in time" said Derek.

"Then hit where they're going to be" said Wedge. As they flew towards the shield generators, the beam fired again and destroyed three Starfighters.

"We've lost some ships" said Derek.

"Oh boy!" said Wedge "Alright people, aim carefully and fire!" The X-Wings fired at the shield generators and hit one of them, causing the shield to flicker somewhat. "Got one! Okay, we've got two more to go; better hurry"

 _Meanwhile_

"Together now!" said Katooni as she and the others pushed back against Vader's blade.

"Impressive, for initiatives" said Vader "Though at least the former younglings have had training under the actual; you however, Chelaa, could barely even count as one. After all, you need an Order to be a knight" Chelaa began pushing Vader back more aggressively. "I knew of your aunt and all of her accomplishments. Is your best ambition to be little more than a carbon copy of her; because if so, you're failing at that greatly"

"Don't listen to him, Chelaa; he's just trying to set you off" said Katooni "He wants to make things easier for him"

"I don't need to" said Vader "I just want to get this over with so I can move onto the actual Jedi" Chelaa began pushing back against Vader in a more aggressive manor. Suddenly, Vader force-pushed all three of them back. "Unimpressive. Even the boy put up more of a fight than this" Chelaa got herself back up and charged at, who simply stepped to the side and clashed with her more. Suddenly, Vader pushed her back and cut both of her hands off with ease.

"Chelaa!" exclaimed K'Kruhk. He ignited his lightsaber again and leapt at Vader, clashing down on him. Suddenly, Vader force-gripped a bookcase and threw it at him.

"How far the Jedi have fallen" said Vader.

"Not as much as you, Vader!" said Maris as he leapt at him and clashed.

"You're one to talk, Maris Brood" said Vader "Or are you forgetting what happened after your master became one with the Force"

"If you're trying to compromise me, Vader, then you're just wasting your breath" said Maris. She smirked. "Which is already very obnoxious!" She lifted her hilts up smacked Vader in the mask before driving one of her blades into his hips. Suddenly, Vader ripped the lightsaber tonfa out and began clashing against her more before force-pushing her into the wall.

"You haven't progressed much" said Vader. Suddenly, Kota and Sitra rushed at him again and began clashing more.

"You're out of your league, Vader" said Kota "Even you can't handle all of us at once now; we're just too familiar with your tricks"

"You forget, I have a new one now" said Vader. The Reckoning rose up to the window with Vader leaping back on it as it charged its main weapon up again.

"Everyone, get out!" exclaimed Kota as he and the others rushed out of the office and into the hallway where they hid within other rooms down it.

"Know this, Kota; if you are alive, you're only delaying the inevitable" said Vader "Sooner or later, I will find all of you and end you" The Reckoning flew off back to the city.

"Unbelievable!" said Kota as he look at the desolation of the office "Look at what that thing did!" He looked over at the now amputated Chelaa who was being nursed by Katooni, Zatt, and Ganodi. "Get Chelaa to a good medical facility. They need to see her right now"

"I can still…" said Chelaa as she moved forward, only to feel another surge of pain "I'm not…defenseless!"

"Chelaa, this is not about being defenseless" said K'Kruhk "Right now you're in no shape to continue on; you have to get medical attention as fast as you can"

"I…I understand" said Chelaa "Take me there" Katooni helped her up and they walked off down the hallway. Kota sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked Sitra.

"I failed and I nearly got everyone killed!" said Kota "I…I nearly got Mon killed as well"

"There's no time for that now" said K'Kruhk "We have to help civilians"

 _Meanwhile_

As the Reckoning wreaked havoc across Coronet City with the X-Wings swarming it, a Mon Calamari woman and her baby ran alongside the other evacuating civilians. Suddenly, she tripped over on a piece of rubble, causing her baby to cry.

"Mam, we have to get you out of here" said a rebel trooper as he ran over to help her up. Suddenly, a large chunk of debris fell down and crushed him. Another came down towards her and she closed her eyes and desperately clutched her baby, expecting the worst. As she opened her eyes again, she looked up and saw that the debris was now hovering above her. She looked over at Luke and Ahsoka, who were holding it up with the Force.

"You may want to get moving" said Ahsoka. The Mon Calamari woman got herself up again and ran off.

"Well, that's another civilian rescued" said Luke.

"Hey Luke, can I ask you something?" asked Ahsoka.

"Can it wait; because I think we've got a lot more to deal with here" said Luke.

"No, I want to know now" replied Ahsoka "It's…it's about my cousins. I heard about them leaving the Alliance and…and I honestly don't know what to do now. Do you think they're really going to go through with this?"

"I spoke to them before and they seemed to have made up their mind about it" said Luke.

"Are you sure?" asked Ahsoka "I mean sure; I'm still upset at what happened, but I never wanted it to go this far. Is there anything I can do?"

"I think at this stage the best thing you can do is say goodbye to them" replied Luke "At least depart on good terms"

"Right" said Ahsoka.

"I mean, you'll want closure on the matter" said Luke "Best to do it while you still can" At that moment, the reckoning flew over them and Vader leapt down to them. "We'll discuss this later"

"Off helping helpless civilians while the other Jedi do the important work" said Vader "Seems appropriate. But ironically you were the lucky ones"

"What did you do to them?!" snapped Luke.

"If they're smart, they're still alive" said Vader "But I wonder how long you'll last"

"You won't get away this time, Vader" said Ahsoka as she and Luke ignited their lightsabers. Vader ignited his lightsaber in response.

"Just because there's two of you doesn't mean you have the advantage" said Vader. Luke and Ahsoka ran at him and started dueling him more.

 _Meanwhile_

"Alright, one more to go" said Wedge as they shot down the second shield generator.

"Great work, Antilles" said Ackbar "Keep up the good work"

"Aim carefully" said Wedge. He looked carefully at the remaining shield generator as it spun around at high speed. "Steady…Steady…Now!" They shot continuously until finally destroying it and bringing down the shield instantly. "Nailed it!"

"Great work" said Ackbar "Alright, now fire at it; but stay as far out of its line of sight as possible" The Starfighters and other vehicles began firing upon the Reckoning to little effect.

 _Meanwhile_

"You're crazed, Vader!" said Luke "You're putting millions of lives at risk; these people have done nothing to the Empire!"

"They willingly tolerated you, which makes them enemies of the Empire" said Vader "The galaxy needs to learn the price of helping you rebels"

"Tell that to the neutral systems who begged for mercy!" said Ahsoka. Suddenly, Vader force-lifted Luke in the air; Ahsoka charged at him but he force-pushed her away and threw Luke into a wall. Ahsoka got up again and charged at Vader again but he force-choked her and threw her into the ground.

"Pity" said Vader "You two are strong in the Force and have such great potential and yet you waste it all upon the narrow-minded Jedi ways. With proper dark side training, you could unlock your true potential and be truly unstoppable"

"Sorry, I don't think the Empire suits me that well" said Luke as he got himself up.

"Feelings mutual" said Ahsoka as she got herself back up. The two charged at Vader but he force-lifted both of them up into the air.

"I only hope that you will see the truth one day" said Vader. He slammed the two into each other and then into the ground. He then force-lifted a large chunk of metal from a fallen building and wrapped it around the two of them. "Truly tragic indeed" At that moment, three X-Wings flew down towards him.

"There's Vader, get him!" said one of the X-Wing pilots. They began shooting him but he merely extended his hand out and force-gripped all three of them at once and threw them away as if it was basically nothing.

"Unimpressive" said Vader.

"That depends upon the way you see things" said a voice. Vader turned around to see Qila standing there, dressed fully in Jedi ceremonial robes. Vader looked down at the lightsaber that lay on his belt.

"Who are you?" asked Vader "I heard no reports on a Fosh Jedi in the Alliance"

"My name is Qila, but I am no Jedi" replied Qila "I was a Jedi once, but that was a long time ago. Now stand down, dark lord. These innocent people have done nothing to you; and if you continue, you will find yourself in too deep"

"You expect me to be intimidated by you?" said Vader as he ignited his lightsaber "You have no idea of the power I possess"

"And you have no idea on the true nature of this power" said Qila.

"You may not consider yourself a Jedi but you're going to die like one" said Vader "This is the day of reckoning for the Jedi! Your return ends now!" Qila closed his eyes, placed his palms together, and force-lifted his lightsaber up to him. He ignited it with the Force and clashed with Vader. His movements were different from any other Force-user; he seemed light on his feet at all times and when he jumped he drifted in the air like a mere feather.

"Do you know who he is?" asked Luke.

"I've never seen him before" replied Ahsoka. As Qila fought with Vader, he started blasting waves of yellow energy at Vader which he repelled with his lightsaber

"Is that…force-lightning?" asked Luke.

"Yeah, I think it is" said Ahsoka. It was indeed force-lightning, but it was different; whilst the lightning that came from darksiders like Count Dooku or Emerl Hatana seemed volatile, erratic, and full of violent force, this one seemed calmer and flowed more smoothly as if it was an extension of Qila's body instead of merely a weapon.

"What is he doing?" asked Luke as he saw Vader and Qila moved down the street in their duel "At this rate, he's not going to beat him quick"

"I don't think he's planning on beating him" said Ahsoka. She looked up at the Reckoning that flew above them.

 _Meanwhile_

"Nothing's happening!" said Wedge "Admiral, we're firing it with as much as we have but it's not going down"

"I know" replied Ackbar "We're firing as much as we can but it's only just doing damage. It's seems those lines weren't weak spots after all"

"Then what should we do then?" asked Wedge.

"Our cruisers might have the firepower to finish it now that the shield is down, but I fear that we might not be able to get them into such a populated area without causing even more danger and havoc" replied Ackbar. Wedge looked at the Reckoning (noticing how it was barely noticing the rest of the city now that it was being swarmed by Starfighters) and then off at the ocean that lay on the coast of the city.

"I have an idea" said Wedge "The X-Wings and I will lure it out over the ocean and have the cruisers blast it there; that way we can blow it with no civilian casualties"

"Are you sure that would work?" asked Ackbar.

"Trust me, right now this thing seems more concerned about us then the rest of the city" said Wedge.

"Very well" said Ackbar "I'll contact the fleet while you bring it out into the ocean"

"Okay gang; follow me but keep shooting" said Wedge. He flew off towards the ocean with the other X-Wings following and continuing to shoot the Reckoning as it flew after them. "It's working, keep it up" As they flew off faster and faster, the Reckoning began to charge up its beam again, ready to shoot them down. Suddenly, a large blast came from the sky and caused critical damage to it. Wedge looked up and grinned when he saw the _Liberty_ type cruisers that filled the sky and shot down at the Reckoning. "There they are!" The Reckoning desperately turned around and charged its beam up again, but the firepower of the cruisers all at once was so much that it blew from the inside within seconds.

 _Meanwhile_

As Vader fought Qila, the two moved into an alleyway where Qila found himself at a dead end.

"You're mine now!" said Vader. Suddenly, he let out a large scream of pain and anger as he stumbled back. He dropped his lightsaber and the image of Anakin Skywalker continuously flickered over him. With a swift move, Qila cut off Vader's left hand and force-pushed him back into a wall. "The Reckoning…is gone…"

 _Meanwhile_

"Skywalker, Ahsoka; are you alright?" asked Kota as he, Sitra, K'Kruhk, and Maris ran over to the two of them.

"Just got beat down by a Dark Lord of the Sith; but other than that, we're perfectly fine" smirked Ahsoka.

"Best to save your sarcasm for a better time" said Sitra as she cut them loose with her lightsaber and helped them up.

"We just got word that the Reckoning is destroyed" said Kota.

"What happened to Vader?" asked K'Kruhk.

"After he beat us, he started fighting some other Jedi" replied Luke.

"Who was it?" asked Sitra. At that moment, Qila walked up to them, levitating Vader next to him and placing him on the ground in front of them.

"Vader is subdued" said Qila.

"Qila?" said Maris.

"Qila!?" said K'Kruhk "You know of him?"

"I met him once on Ryloth" replied Maris.

"Okay, I think we're all on different pages here" said Luke "Who is he?"

"Explanations can come later" said Kota "Right now we have a more pressing matter at hand here" He ignited his lightsaber and turned to Vader, pointing it at him.

"I am defeated and defenseless; you have won" said Vader "You may as well take the opportunity while you still can. It would be wise to kill me now. As long as I live, I am one of many dangers towards you and the rest of the Alliance"

"No, not now" said Kota "There's been enough killing"'

 _Later_

Ahsoka walked up to her cousins' apartment door and took a deep breath in.

"It's all simple; just go in, apologize, and make amends" said Ahsoka to herself "Okay, it's all simple. Three…two…one" She knocked on the door but there was no response. "Huh?" She looked down at the door panel, opened it using the Force, and entered, only to find the room completely empty; no one, no object, nothing. "Oh no…" She slouched against the wall and face palmed. "I'm too late"

 _Meanwhile_

"The Alliance is already covering the damage down to the city, hopefully that should restore support" said Kota as he stood in the hallway of a maximum security prison.

"Vader's right, you know" said Luke "He's too dangerous to be kept alive"

"Perhaps, but the Jedi do not kill their prisoners" said Kota "There are some beliefs we have to abide by regardless. Besides, he could be of use to us"

"I hope so" said Luke "So who is this Qila who just appeared?"

"He was before my time as a Jedi so all I know of him is what Master Windu and Master Yoda told me, and even then I'm not sure I know of the full story in its entirety" said Kota as they walked off down the hallway "But I'll tell you what I can" In a doorway behind them was a large chamber. It contained a containment cell which held Vader who was bound from the neck down by metallic locks and straps of all varieties. As he breathed heavier and heavier, he looked up at the ceiling with utter disdain.

 ***** : I gave Katooni a last name because she didn't have one.

 **Hellman76** : I'm afraid I've already made up my mind on how Ahsoka's family story is going to turn out; I apologize greatly if this is too upsetting.

 **CT7567Rules** : I feel that even if was made to believe that the Jedi betrayed the Republic, Cody deep down feels regret over what he did years ago. As for the Chiropters, I think there have been a lot of bat monsters in popular culture so I think that might be why they're familiar.

 **Just a Crazy-Man** : Good to know there's another Empire at War fan out there, thanks for reviewing.


	20. Raiders of the Lost Mask

**Author's note** : Sorry about the delay, folks; I forgot to upload it yesterday. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy :)

 **Raiders of the Lost Mask**

 _Mysterious attacks on Ithor! Suspicious happenings on the Mid Rim planet have led the Ithorian Elders to believe that the Empire or another organization may be secretly hiding on the planet! In order to discover the source of this mystery, Rebel Councilman Tendau Bendon sends General Crix Madine along the Alliance Special Forces to meet him at the orbiting herdship of Tafanda Bay!_

 _With Jedi Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano and mercenary Rianna Saren with them, they hope to gain access to the planet's surface and find out the cause of the attacks before it is too late…_

 _Hyperspace_

As the _Crucible_ flew through hyperspace, Captain Ronaarus Davhac (a male Human captain of Asian ethnicity) walked up to Madine who stood on the bridge looking out at hyperspace.

"General, we're almost at Ithor" said Davhac.

"Thank you, captain" said Madine "Remind me to contact Councilman Bendon when we arrive"

"Understood" said Davhac.

"And remind me to wake Commander Skywalker when we arrive as well" said Madine.

 _Meanwhile_

As Luke and Ahsoka lay asleep in their quarters, Ahsoka began turning her head and flickering her eyelids.

 _Ahsoka's dream_

Ahsoka stood outside the Jedi High Council chamber, back as her sixteen year old self. At the center of the council stood Luke who appeared to be sixteen as well and dressed in padawan garbs.

"Padawan Skywalker, are you aware of why we have been brought before us?" asked Mace Windu.

"I do" said Luke "You wish to review my progress"

"More than that, young one" said Plo Koon "Over the course of your training, you have shown great skill and determination; so much so that we're beginning to wonder whether you are worthy of the rank of Knight" Luke's face lit up and he looked back at Ahsoka who should of a look of gratification.

"It would be an honor, masters" said Luke.

"We're not done yet, padawan" said Windu "We're only considering it, we haven't fully decided yet"

"You are still young and knighting a padawan at your age isn't something we do often within the Order; and when we do, it is few and far between" said Shaak Ti "But your skills and accomplishments have come to our attention in great detail"

"And we need more knights to help the galaxy and keep the peace" said Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"But we must take caution in this" said Oppo Ranciscis "We only knight padawans when we deem them truly ready"

"That is why we have called this meeting today, to debate whether to go through with it or not" said Obi-Wan.

"If the council deems me ready, then I will comply" said Luke.

"That is if we deem you ready" said Windu "First we will judge your accomplishments and strengths with what you need to improve of, then we will decide whether or not you are ready"

"I understand" said Luke.

"Good, then we can begin" said Windu.

"The truth is, the skill and expertise you have shown is almost unparalleled" said Eeth Koth.

"Especially considering for one your age" said Saesee Tiin.

"Your lightsaber progression is impressive" said Ki-Adi-Mundi "In all my years, very few adapt to it as fast as you do"

"Your skills at piloting are impressive also" said Shaak Ti.

"Not to mention your affinity with the Force" said Kit Fisto "It's on a level of one such as a knight"

"You show great strength" said Coleman Kcaj. Luke beamed. "However, you are not without your flaws. You also show great recklessness"

"And your inexperience has held you back more than once" said Adi Gallia. Luke and Ahsoka's smiles faded.

"No need to be ashamed, these are not uncommon traits amongst the young" said Plo Koon.

"But they are still regrettable flaws nonetheless" said Windu.

"We were all young and reckless at one point" said Obi-Wan "Master Saa informed me of some of your endeavors when you were but an apprentice" Windu held back a frown.

"With strengths and flaws aside, there is still something to discuss" said Rancisis "The Jedi Trials"

"True, he should be tested before we know he is ready" said Shaak Ti.

"Perhaps the trials are waiting for him" said Obi-Wan.

"Is this is how you would have wanted it?" asked a voice. Ahsoka noticed that the Daughter stood by her side.

"Sort of" replied Ahsoka "Though I'm a little wary of the council since my falling out"

"But is there something missing in this?" asked the Daughter. Ahsoka turned back to the council.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Ahsoka.

"Where is the wisdom amongst the council?" asked the Daughter "Where is the elder? Where is the teacher of all teachers?" Ahsoka looked more carefully and noticed that the small chair that sat between Ki-Adi-Mundi and Windu was left empty.

"Wait, where is Yoda?" asked Ahsoka.

"Yoda's wisdom is what held the council together" replied the Daughter "It may not seem all that bad right now; but after a while, it will start falling apart. A gradual process that will come to fruition only in time; it's interesting how the loss of one small component could herald something to spiral out"

"Did you find anything else out about the dark power?" asked Ahsoka.

"It comes from the Outer Rim, but I do not know where exactly" replied the Daughter.

"Well, that doesn't rule out a lot" said Ahsoka.

"I also feel the disturbance itself growing" said the Daughter "Whatever this darkness is, it's time has almost come"

"You're kidding, right?" said Ahsoka "Couldn't come at a worse time"

"I am sorry, but there's no other way" said the Daughter "I've done all that I can for the moment, I only wish I could do more"

" _Ahsoka…"_

Ahsoka looked around.

 _Back to reality_

"Ahsoka?" said the voice "Ahsoka?" Ahsoka woke up to see Luke kneeling by her bed shaking her gently on her shoulder.

"What is it?" asked Ahsoka.

"We're here" replied Luke.

"Oh, okay" said Ahsoka as she got herself up.

"Another vision?" asked Luke.

"Yeah, and this was a weird one" replied Ahsoka.

"Did it involve the Jedi Council?" asked Luke.

"Was that a random guess or is there something else to that?" asked Ahsoka.

"I had a dream as well" replied Luke "I was younger and in this chamber where several other Jedi who looked over me. I saw you on the side giving me encouraging looks"

"Yep, that was the Jedi Council" said Ahsoka "What were they talking to you about?"

"They were discussing whether or not to give me the rank of knight" replied Luke.

"That the same dream I had" said Ahsoka "Except there was something else"

"And what was that?" asked Luke.

"Daughter came to me again" replied Ahsoka.

"What did she say to you this time?" asked Luke.

"From what I gathered, there are two important things she found out about the darkness that is coming" replied Ahsoka "Firstly, it's somewhere within the Outer Rim but she doesn't know where exactly"

"That doesn't narrow things down that much" said Luke.

"That's what I said" said Ahsoka "Secondly, it's coming; and if we want to stop it, we have to act fast"

"Let's just focus on the task at hand first" said Luke.

"Yeah, but we have to remember to keep it in mind" said Ahsoka "Especially since…if we can't stop it, I might just hold the only way to beat it when it's at full strength and…I'm too scared to use it"

"It's okay, Ahsoka" said Luke "Given what you described to me, I understand why you'd be uneasy about doing it"

"It's just…it's like I wasn't in control at all" said Ahsoka "I could see everything, I could feel everything, but it wasn't me; the longer she was in control, the more I felt myself fading away into her. And I could do absolutely nothing about it"

"We'll worry about that later; first we'll help the Ithorians, then we'll inform Kota about it" said Luke.

"Are you sure he'll be okay with it?" asked Ahsoka "I mean, keeping vital information from someone is pretty serious; especially when it might have something to do with the Sith"

"In the long term of things, Kota will understand" said Luke "But don't worry about it right now. C'mon, let's go to the bridge" He helped Ahsoka up and brought her to the bridge where Madine waited for them.

"You two are awake" said Madine "We're here" Luke and Ahsoka looked out at the large disc-shaped ship city that hovered over the surface of Ithor. "Welcome to _Tafanda Bay_ "

"Wow!" said Ahsoka.

"I've heard about the herdships of Ithor but to see one up close like this is just…amazing" said Luke.

"Did you bring C-3PO with you?" asked Madine.

"Yes, he's in the hanger with R2" replied Luke.

"Good, you'll need him" said Madine.

 _A few minutes later_

A T-6 shuttle came out of the _Crucible_ , flew down to _Tafanda Bay_ , and landed onto the flight deck. Madine stepped out with Luke, Ahsoka, C-3PO, and R2 stepping out. An Ithorian messenger droid hovered up to them.

"Welcome to _Tafanda Bay_ , General Crix Madine of the Alliance" said the messenger droid "Councilman Bendon is waiting for you inside"

"Thank you" said Madine "Can you bring me to him?"

"This way" said the messenger droid. It floated off and they followed it inside the observation deck. The deck was filled with Ithorians and plants in hanging pots clung from the ceiling and walls with green plant maintenance droids hovering around and tending to them. They then reached a train station just as the train turned up. "This train will lead you to the city. This way" They followed the messenger droid as it got on the train and sped off.

 _A few minutes later_

"Incredible" said C-3PO as they walked through the city "In all my years of understanding Ithorese, I've never been to one of the many herdships before. Although I do wonder why use ships as the main forms of civilizations rather than making them on the surface"

"The Ithorians consider the surface of the planet sacred" said Madine "To help preserve it; they built cities on ships instead of on the surface itself. The only Ithorians who live on the surface are permanent residents who live in villages across the planet. And that is why we are here, to ask for permission to land on the planet"

"But what about the relief mission a few weeks ago?" asked Ahsoka "They allowed us access to the surface then"

"For a non-violent relief mission" said Madine "And even then it took a lot of effort to convince the Ithorian elders. But we're talking about sending an attack force to combat any hostiles on the planet. That will require a lot more effort to convince them" At that moment, they reached the center building were Tendau Bendon walked up to them and greeted them in Ithorese. "Greetings, Councilman" Bendon said something else in Ithorese. "Well; if they're waiting for us, we'd better not disappoint them. Councilman Bendon and I are going in now to discuss things with the Ithorian Elders; hopefully we can come to a compromise. We'll communicate with you when we're done"

"Wait, we're not going in with you?" said Luke.

"I'm afraid they only requested for my presence" said Madine "I would try to convince them otherwise, but it's better if we stay in their good books. In the meantime, you can explore the city"

"But we can't speak or understand Ithorese" said Ahsoka.

"The droid does" replied Madine. He and Bendon turned to the building and went up to the highest floor in the elevator.

 _Later_

Luke and Ahsoka sat outside a café drinking smoothie-like drinks.

"I wouldn't call myself a vegan, but this drink is not bad" said Luke.

"My people prefer meat and even I admit that this is pretty good" said Ahsoka "Boy, these Ithorians sure love their planet"

"Makes you wish that they were running the Empire instead of the Emperor" said Luke. Ahsoka began to look down again. "Is something wrong again?"

"Just talking about my people reminds me of my family and how bad I messed things up" replied Ahsoka "It's like you said; even though I'll never know my true parents, I still had a family…and now, because of my actions, I broke them apart"

"We all make mistakes, Ahsoka; but the best thing you can do right now is wait for the ink to dry and reconcile with them the next chance you get" said Luke "It may take time, but it'll be worth it"

"Besides, it's not I've never had family at all" said Ahsoka whilst grasping Luke's hand "Anakin was always there for me, even in my lowest moment; and with him gone, I've got you" Luke smiled.

"Ahsoka, there's something I've got to tell you" said Luke.

"And what's that?" asked Ahsoka.

"I spoke to Kota some time ago about—" said Luke.

"Commander Skywalker, are you there?" asked Madine out of his comlink.

"Just a sec" said Luke "I'm here, what is it?"

"I'm afraid the Elders won't allow a full army on the surface" replied Madine "However, they will allow a small strike team to the surface. You two, get back to the flight deck and wait for me at the shuttle. I'll contact the _Crucible_ to assemble a team together"

 _Later_

The T-6 shuttle flew down to the planet's surface and landed in an ash-filled clearing. Madine, Luke, and Ahsoka stepped out and walked over to a group of rebel pathfinders who had gathered together.

"Madine, we brought together the maximum that you specified" said Orrimaarko.

"Good work" said Madine "Skywalker, Tano; I'd like you to meet my team. You already know Orrimaarko and Tani Ab'yla from the Battle of Ord Mantell" He gestured towards Rianna Saren. "This is Rianna Saren; she's agreed to help us in need of attack"

"As long as I get paid" said Rianna. Madine gestured towards a male Sluissi.

"This is Napiat, he's our tech expert and engineer; his people, the Sluissi, have great technological prowess" said Madine.

"Thank you" said Napiat. Madine gestured towards a male Elom. "This is Mraw Carlp, he's our support fire" Carlp nodded with a groan. He then gestured towards a commando droid with orange captain tattoos.

"Look out!" exclaimed Ahsoka as she ignited her lightsaber and pointed it at the commando droid.

"Calm down" said Madine "This is BX, he's a commando droid we recovered and reprogrammed to work for us. He's proved quite useful"

"Roger, roger" said BX.

"Alright everyone, let's get down to business" said Madine "This particular location was the sight of an attack; right now, we're in the center of what was once a village" Luke and Ahsoka hadn't noticed it before but they soon realized that they were standing at the center of a ruined and destroyed Ithorian village, charred down to barely anything. "Reports have told me that there are two sets of tank tracks; one that leads to the north and one that leads to the west. We'll split into two teams. Tano, Orrimmarko, Aby'lya, Napiat, BX; take a group to the west. The rest of you, come with me to the south"

"Well; see you soon, Skyguy" said Ahsoka as the group split up.

"Will do, Snips" said Luke. Ahsoka stopped for a second and smirked as they went off.

 _Later_

As Madine, Luke and the others travelled through the jungle, Carlp examined the ground and said something in Elom.

"He says that whatever created these tracks is just up ahead" said Madine "Strange; in all my years I've never seen Imperial tank tracks like these before"

"Maybe it's a new model" said Luke.

"It's not just the tracks that bother me, it's the methods" said Madine "So far the methods stated in reports indicate guerrilla warfare due to the secretive nature of the attacks; but why would the Empire do that? Why not send a full-scale invasion force to subjugate the planet?"

"Shh!" said Rianna "We're almost at the end of the tracks" She crept up to the bushes and peaked through them. Down in a small clearing below stood two figures dressed in red armor standing next to a large tank.

"Looks like we found them" said Madine quietly.

"Imperials?" asked Luke quietly.

"Doesn't appear so" replied Madine quietly "Even if that tanks a new model, its design looks way different from anything the Empire's come up with; all Imperial vehicle stem from a similar design aspect. And the coloration is all off; standard Imperial coloration is shades of grey, white, and black"

"They could be mercenaries" said Rianna quietly.

"Perhaps, but we don't know for certain whether the Empire is even involved" said Madine quietly "We should fall back and get a better position" At that moment, a manollium flew down, landed next to them, and squawked.

"Get away, you filthy bird!" said Rianna quietly. The manollium squawked again, even louder this time causing the two red figures to look up at the area they were hiding.

"It's going to blow our cover!" said Madine quietly.

"Shoo!" said Rianna quietly while waving at the manollium "Shoo!"

"No, don't!" said Madine "It will—" Rianna shooed the manollium away, causing it to fly down towards the two figures.

"Get in the tank" said one of the figures. The other figure ran over to the tank and entered it.

"Oh no!" said Madine quietly "Let's get out of here!" Suddenly, the tank shot out a powerful plasma pulse at them; crumbling the hill down and bringing them down with it.

"Rebels!" said the first figure. Madine immediately pulled out his blaster and pointed it at him.

"Who are you and what's your allegiance; Rebel or Imperial?!" asked Madine.

"Neither!" replied the first figure "Kill them!" As he opened fire on them, the tank shot at them again.

 _Meanwhile_

"We're getting close" said Ahsoka as she and her group walked further into the jungle. Unbeknownst to them, several large vornskr sat in the tree; watching over them and growling quietly. Urai Fen stood with them; he looked down at one of the vornskr and stroked it across the head. At that moment, Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber. "Stop! I can sense something through the Force" Tani sniffed the air.

"I can smell something" said Tani as she pulled out her blaster "Someone's here" Urai gestured towards the vornskr.

"This changes nothing, we'll continue onwards" said Orrimaarko. Suddenly, one of the vornskr leapt down and landed on one of the pathfinders; causing him to scream and shoot uncontrollably. "Shoot it!" Everyone opened fire on the vornskr and killed it off-guard. "That was close" Suddenly, another vornskr leapt down on top of Ahsoka but she accidently stabbed it in the chest with her lightsaber. As countless more vornskr leapt down from the trees and attacked the pathfinders (with the ones on Ahsoka's side attacking her), Urai crept off into the shadows of the trees.

"We can't win this fight" said Ahsoka "We have to get out of here!"

"Agreed" said Orrimaarko "Retreat! Fall back to the shuttle" They all rushed off with the vornskr following close behind, picking off the ones at the back easily. As they ran through, they came across a group of large trees that stood at the side of the path.

"BX, thermal detonator on the trees now!" said Tani.

"Roger, roger" said BX as he pulled out a thermal detonator and threw it at the trees with Tani. As the detonators went off, the trees collapsed over the path; blocking the vornskrs off.

"That should hold them off for some time" said Tani.

 _Meanwhile_

"We can't get him while that tank is still operational" said Madine "It's blocking us off" Rianna looked at the tank carefully and started sneaking over to it.

"At least we know one thing" said Luke "The Empire's not involved this time"

"We'll get more answers if we capture one of these two" said Madine "We just need to focus on…Rianna?" Rianna stood on the top of the tank and pulled the hatch open before dropping two thermal detonators inside.

"Fire in the hole!" said Rianna as she leapt off shortly before the tank exploded.

"Urai, requesting backup now!" said the first figure as he rushed off into the jungle whilst still shooting.

"He's escaping, stop him!" said Madine. As the figure ran off into the forest, he suddenly felt a large blade pierce through his chest.

"Urai…" wheezed the figure. Urai stepped out and pulled the blade away. "But…backup…"

"At this rate, a corpse is easier to carry" said Urai. As he heard the approaching rebel forces, he picked up the corpse and disappeared back into the shadows. It was then that the rebel forces reached the area.

"The footprints end here" said Rianna.

"But where is he?" asked Luke. Madine looked down at the puddle of blood on the ground.

 _Later_

"And then nothing" said Madine "No body, no items, nothing, just a small puddle of blood; he just disappeared without a trace"

"Did you test the blood?" asked Ahsoka.

"It's Human, no question" replied Luke "But I don't think I've ever seen that armor before"

"You know; I heard rebel reports state that Havdori escaped with men dressed in red armor, similar to ones we just met" said Madine.

"Do you think Havdori has a part in this?" asked Luke.

"We can't jump to that conclusion" replied Madine "But at the same time, neither can we rule it out" A scowl formed on Ahsoka's face. "Is something the matter, Commander Tano?"

"Nothing; I'm just remembering how Sarke tricked me into helping him" said Ahsoka.

"Are you referring to how he used Fey'lya as a scapegoat?" asked Madine "If so, you have nothing to be ashamed of; none of us knew that—"

"I know!" said Ahsoka "I know! But still...just the thought of getting even with Sarke—"

"His name was Havdori, Lei Sarke was just an alias" said Madine.

"Well; whatever his name is, we'll find him" said Ahsoka "I can't shake the feeling that he's part of this" At that moment, K'Kruhk walked up to them.

"General Madine" said K'Kruhk.

"General K'Kruhk, what an unexpected surprise" said Madine.

"Apologies for the unexpected arrival, but I have no time to explain it now" said K'Kruhk "Skywalker, Tano; I need to speak with you now. Follow me"

"Sorry about this, general" said Luke as he and Ahsoka got themselves up "I have a feeling that this is Jedi business so it might take a while"

"Don't wait for us" said Ahsoka.

"I'll try to convince the Elders that to give us permission to send an army down there" said Madine "Whoever these people are, there's bound to be more of them; and if any more of their weapons is as bad as that tank, it's going to be torture without more troops" K'Kruhk brought Luke and Ahsoka over to an alleyway.

"Skywalker, Tano; I would like you to meet two people who arrived on Corellia only an hour ago" said K'Kruhk. Out of the shadows stepped two figures; one of them was the Lurmen monk Samfor who Ahsoka met on Tython, the other was a young Miraluka woman who wore a fabric wrap around her eyespots.

"Samfor?" said Ahsoka.

"Greetings, Ahsoka" said Samfor "We meet once again"

"You two know each other?" asked Luke.

"Remember that mission to Tython that Sitra sent me on; I met him there" replied Ahsoka.

"I'd like you to meet Uchji Nuluco, a member of our order" said Samfor "She has recently had a vision that concerns you Jedi greatly. Tell them about it" Uchij stepped forward.

"It is so strange to be around Jedi" said Uchji "Your presence is so familiar yet so different"

"What are you?" asked Ahsoka.

"I am a member of the Force-sensitive race Miraluka" replied Uchji "Physically we are indistinct from Humans, except for one defining feature…" She began t stroke the cloth around her head, showing the shape of her eyeholes. "We lack physical eyes; instead we see through the Force, giving us a closer connection to it than most"

"So what was your vision?" asked Luke.

"It was of something that started thousands of years ago" replied Uchij "Have you ever heard the legend of Darth Nihilus, the Lord of Hunger?" Luke and Ahsoka shook their heads. "Darth Nihilus was a powerful Dark Lord of the Sith who lived during the Old Republic. He was a wound in the Force who fed upon the life force of others like a leech to survive. His favorite prey was Jedi and other Force-sensitives as they sustained him longer and made him more powerful. One of his most devastating acts was what he did against the Miraluka people…"

 _Uchji's flashback_

" _Long before Nihilus even came to be, the original Miraluka homeworld was rendered uninhabitable through means lost to history. We settled a new homeworld on the planet of Alpheridies, but we soon found new planets to make colonies; most notable of all was Katarr"_

The Mid Rim planet of Katarr lay peacefully in space.

" _For years the Miraluka lived in peace, but it would not last forever. In the aftermath of the Jedi Civil War eventually came the original Jedi Purge; the Sith hid in the shadows and struck the remaining Jedi at every opportune time. In order to decide the future of the Order, about a hundred Jedi assembled on Katarr to form a conclave to discuss the matter in secret. However, it wasn't long until the Sith learned about it…"_

A badly damaged _Centurion_ -class battlecruiser with a decaying look and feel to it came out of hyperspace above Katarr.

" _The prospect of so many Force-users in one place was just too enticing to let go…"_

Aboard the bridge stood a tall figure wrapped in black robes. But what was most notable about him was the distinctive mask that covered his face; it was white with red stripes and behind it was nothing but blackness.

" _Nihilus may have come into this galaxy through unnatural means, but he was almost like a force of nature; unreasonable and only focused on survival…"_

Darth Nihilus began speak in an ancient and unrecognizable Sith tongue before there was a bright flash of white light.

" _With all of his power, he drained the life out of the entire planet; killing all who stood on its surface and leaving it as dry and as barren as a bone…"_

 _Back to reality_

"Uchji, I'm sorry" said Ahsoka.

"It's ancient history, not something you should pity" said Uchji.

"So what happened next?" asked Luke.

"When Nihilus stepped upon the devastated surface, he sensed that there was just one survivor" replied Uchji "It was a young Miraluka woman named Visas Marr who Nihilus took aboard his ship as his unwilling Sith Apprentice. But it was not the end for her. With the help of a long excommunicated Jedi Exile, she broke out of the Sith Lord's control; and with the help of the connection between her and her master, they were able to finally defeat the dark lord and end his reign of terror once and for all. Visas then removed his mask, the only that kept his essence together, and he was destroyed"

"So what does Nihilus have to do with us?" asked Luke.

"A few weeks ago I felt a great disturbance in the Force coming from the Outer Rim world of Korriban" replied K'Kruhk.

"Outer Rim?" said Luke and Ahsoka simultaneously.

"I felt a great darkness approaching us but I chose not to investigate until I found further proof of what was exactly" said K'Kruhk "If you go to Korriban without a purpose then you are destined to get lost within the darkness"

"But I started receiving nightmares very recently and Samfor told me that I should see the Jedi about it" said Uchji.

"The moment she came before me and told me of the darkness she saw, I knew that there was no coincidence" said K'Kruhk "And it was quite fortunate; because with this information, we now have a reason to go to Korriban. It's time to stop this darkness before it truly begins"

"I'll contact Madine to tell him that we might be a while" said Luke.

"I'm going too" said Uchji "I have this done first hand"

 _Meanwhile_

On the surface of Ithor stood a large palace-like structure overlooking a cliff with various mercenary soldiers around it. At the top of the palace was a large room where Tyber Zann looked out a window and overlooked the terrain. At that moment, Urai entered.

"Tyber, rebel forces have landed on the planet" said Urai "They have spotted us"

"It's about time, I suppose" said Tyber.

"Should I call for a retreat?" asked Urai.

"No; the battle is not lost yet, Urai" said Tyber "We'll stand our ground until retreat is fully necessary"

"Tyber, the Ithorians are loyal to the Rebel Alliance" said Urai "If they're able to be convinced that we possess big enough a threat then we could be facing an uphill battle on our hands. And I spotted a Jedi with them"

"Jedi, huh?" said Tyber "Those are rare to come by nowadays. Good thing we came prepared. Time to give our guest a visit"

"Tyber, don't even think of freeing him" said Urai "Dark Jedi are not to be underestimated"

"An alliance is only a last resort" said Tyber "Until then, we'll have to make do with interrogating him more. He was in charge of the Alliance once; perhaps he knows some tactics and the like"

"Will do, Tyber" said Urai. He turned over to the elevator and went down it to a level where two defilers (the red armored figures) stood guard at the door. "I am here for interrogation"

"You may pass" said one of the defilers as the door opened. Urai stepped in and entered a cell where a man lay in a containment field.

"We need information about the Rebel Alliance and we all know that you may just have answers for them" said Urai "And unless you wish to be permanently scarred, I'd suggest you'd go along with it" The man lifted his head up revealing himself to be Havdori.

"Amuse me!" smirked Havdori.

 _Meanwhile over Korriban_

The T-6 shuttle came out of hyperspace above Korriban.

"There it is; Korriban, ancient homeworld of the Sith" said K'Kruhk "I can feel the darkness from up here"

"So why us?" asked Luke.

"Excuse me?" asked K'Kruhk.

"Why me and Ahsoka?" replied Luke "Couldn't you get someone else like Master Kota or Master Sitra?"

"Master Kota is busy overlooking the reconstruction of Corellia and Sitra is off on her own missions at the moment" replied K'Kruhk "Besides, I have a feeling you two might know more about this dark power than they would"

"And what gives you that idea?" asked Luke.

"Next time you discuss something in secret without us knowing, try to make sure that protocol droid of yours isn't listening in" replied K'Kruhk "He doesn't know how to keep a secret"

"3PO!" muttered Luke.

"Don't be ashamed, I'm glad to have you two here" said K'Kruhk "Don't think for one minute we look down on you, Skywalker; if the old Order still existed, you'd probably be considered a prodigy amongst the students. Obi-Wan may not have trained you for long, but it was enough to set you on your way. And Ahsoka; when Rachi Sitra first found her, she had lost all faith in the Order. And now look at her, she's putting aside her issues and helping us for a better tomorrow. So yes; even if none of us have taken you as a padawan, you are still valued greatly. Kota and Sitra see great things in you both"

"Well, I guess that's something" said Luke. They flew down into the middle of a large valley filled with ominous ruins and statue remains.

"We learned brief parts about Korriban in our studies at the Jedi Temple, but to actually see it in person is quite something" said Ahsoka as she and Uchji entered the cockpit.

"We're in the Valley of the Dark Lords, this place is filled with the graves of ancient Sith" said K'Kruhk "This will be a good starting point to find what we need to find" They flew down, landed in front of the ruins of the Sith Academy, and got out.

"Brrr, the reports never stated it would be this cold!" said Ahsoka as she shivered.

"You'd be used to it if your kind came from Toola" said K'Kruhk.

"So where do we go from here?" asked Luke "How do we know which tomb belongs to Nihilus?"

"We don't even know if Nihilus even had a proper tomb; after all, there was no body to bury" said K'Kruhk "All we know is that his presence was the cause of this darkness and that we have to find and stop it" Uchji started walking off in a direction. "Uchji, what is it?"

"There's a great surge of dark side energy down there" replied Uchji "I can feel it and I recognize what it is"

"Do you think that's what we're looking for?" asked Luke.

"I don't know" replied Ahsoka "But seeing as how she knows more about Darth Nihilus than the rest of us, I'd say her guess is better than ours"

"Be cautious; even with a clear path on what you're looking for, you don't know what you may find as you venture further on the surface of Korriban" said K'Kruhk. As they walked through the Valley of the Dark Lords, they felt a great darkness surging and heard a mysterious whispery chanting in various voices all around them.

" _You shouldn't have come here…_

 _Turn back…_

 _You have no idea of what you are facing…_

 _Turn back…_

 _You will be break, as so many others have…_

 _Turn back…_

 _Come only if you wish to embrace the dark power…_

 _Turn back…_

 _Feel the dark side like never before…_

 _Turn back…"_

Luke looked down at the skeletal remains of various Sith that lay across the valley.

"It's strange; I've encountered darksiders before, but this place feels like something new entirely" said Luke.

"Same" said Ahsoka "It's like the dark side except much greater and much more ancient but subtle"

"This is the Sith homeworld after all" said K'Kruhk.

"These remains, some of them don't look Human or like any race I've ever seen before" said Luke.

"Long before the Sith was an order it was a species" said K'Kruhk "They were identified by their red skin and tentacle-like facial appendages. They society was caste based: the Zuguruk caste were engineers, the Massassi were warriors, and the Kissai were priests. It was they who initially practiced in the dark side of the Force, building an Empire that would inspire so many more darksiders to follow suite, and they began the tradition that would lead to the Sith we have now"

"What happened to them?" asked Luke.

"No one knows for certain" replied K'Kruhk "They disappeared off the face of the galaxy thousands of years before the Clone Wars"

"Isn't there an official record of it?" asked Ahsoka "I mean, wouldn't the Jedi Achieves contain something about it?"

"That's the flow of history" said K'Kruhk "Some things are well preserved and recorded and stay and the full story is known forever; other things however are ultimately forgotten and lost, the real story becoming unknown to everyone. But nevertheless; the original Sith may be gone, but their legacy will never be forgotten" Uchji brought them to the entrance of what appeared to be a tomb, at the top of which was a worn away yet still haunting statue of Darth Nihilus overlooking them with a sinister glare

"This is where the presence leads to" said Uchji.

"Well, this place looks welcoming" said Luke sarcastically.

"Now you're beginning to sound like Han" said Ahsoka. At the top of the entrance was writing in a strange language.

"What does 'ari mean?" asked Luke.

"In Sith it means lord" replied K'Kruhk "Lord…of…Hunger. This is the place. Whatever this darkness truly is, it ends now" As they entered the tomb, Ahsoka heard the scuffling of some rocks behind them. She turned and looked around.

"What's wrong?" asked Luke.

"I thought I heard…nothing, it's probably just the wind" said Ahsoka. As they walked through the tombs, Luke looked over and saw images on the wall of various things; one thing that caught his eye was one of a large bipedal rancor-like creature covered in spikes.

"What's that?" asked Luke.

"That's a terentatek, a vicious creature that feeds off the blood of Force-sensitives" replied K'Kruhk "They were notorious for hunting Jedi and wiping out large portions of the Order; so much so that great hunts were started to thin their numbers down"

"Are they extinct now?" asked Luke.

"It's hard to say" replied K'Kruhk "It is said that terentatek could hibernate great periods and awake when the dark side is strong in the galaxy again; all the more reason why we have to stop this now" As they reached the end of the hallway, a cool and crisp air whooshed past them.

"The presence is just beyond this doorway" said Uchji "I can feel it closer than ever"

"We're here" said K'Kruhk "Whatever we find behind these doors is what is drawing all the darkness together"

"Found what you are looking for amongst the dead?" said a menacing voice. The four of them turned around to see the spectral image of Darth Bane standing before them, dressed fully in battle armor and with his long black cape waving in the spectral wind.

"And what are you supposed to be?" asked Ahsoka.

"I am Darth Bane, creator of the Rule of Two" said Bane "And what brings Jedi to raid the tombs of Korriban?"

"We're here to deal with the darkness here" said K'Kruhk "And we've come too far for someone like you to stand in our way"

"Do you not understand the truth or are you simply too ignorant to acknowledge it?" said Bane "The darkness of Korriban is not to be taken lightly; it exists within its veins, it is within the dark side itself. All those who walk upon the surface must embrace it or be destroyed by those who wield the power!"

"The Sith here are all dead" said K'Kruhk "I hardly see why they're as much danger to us in death as they were in life"

"Dead?" said Bane "We may be dead, but our legacy lives on to this day. But I will give you this one warning; whatever you find behind that doorway is the path to oblivion, for both Jedi and Sith alike…" The spectral wind began blowing again and his form disintegrated into sand and dust which blew away.

"Darth Bane?" said Luke.

"That wasn't Darth Bane" said K'Kruhk "That was merely a Sith illusion left here to ward off any intruders who may come to the tombs"

"What did he mean by oblivion for both Jedi and Sith alike?" asked Ahsoka.

"Nihilus's appetite was not restricted to merely Jedi, but to Sith and other dark side force-users as well" replied Uchji "He was only helping the Sith to stay his hunger, but he would have turned on them the moment there weren't any Jedi left. Some even theorize that had he lived long enough, the whole galaxy would have reduced to a lifeless husk" The four of them walked through the doorway and entered a large chamber filled with Sith markings. At the end of the chamber stood a pedestal which held the mask of Darth Nihilus on it. "There it is; that's his mask, the one thing that held him together"

"I can't help but feel that this is a bad idea" said Ahsoka.

"We have no choice" said K'Kruhk "It's better in our hands than just here" As they walked over to the mask, Uchji heard strange Sith talking coming from it.

"Wait!" said Uchji.

"What is it?" asked Luke. Uchji listened carefully as the mask continued.

"It's him!" said Uchji "He's…talking"

"I can't hear anything" said Luke. Uchji listened further.

"He knows we're here" said Uchji. Suddenly, countless Sith serpents slithered in through the cracks in the wall and onto the pedestal where they piled up onto each other and formed a body for the mask. The mask began chanting in Sith again.

"Wait, I heard that!" said Luke.

"Me too" said Ahsoka. K'Kruhk looked carefully at the mask and it's body and was instantly reminded of the dark form he had seen on Korriban.

"I knew it was the cause of this darkness all along" said K'Kruhk "Get behind me" Nihilus extended his hand out and shot out a powerful light which caused various skeletal Sith warriors to appear before them and snarl. Nihilus then pointed towards the four of them and the Sith ran towards them.

"This is bad, right?" said Ahsoka as she and the others ignited their lightsaber.

"Too late to say that now" said Luke.

"Do you know how to fight?" asked Ahsoka.

"The monks taught me various martial arts forms in case of defense" replied Uchji.

"I suppose that's good enough" said Ahsoka. As the Sith surrounded them, they began fighting them and slashing them down; but despite taking down a lot of them, there seemed to be more than there were to begin with. "Is it just me or are there more of them now?"

"There's a small army of these guys forming right here" said Luke as he slashed one of the Sith down. K'Kruhk observed this as this happened and noticed that two more Sith suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Skywalker, Tano; every time we kill one of them, two more take its place" said K'Kruhk "If we continue on like this, we'll be overrun"

"There's got to be something we can do" said Luke "I mean, we can't just leave them"

"Uchji, is there something we can do to stop them?" asked K'Kruhk.

"Cut off the heart and mind and the rest should follow" replied Uchji as she pointed at Nihilus.

"Hold on tight, I've got this" said K'Kruhk. He leapt up into the air and landed in front of Nihilus who said something in Sith. "You may have been a powerful Sith Lord once, but now you're nothing more than a long forgotten memory" He swung his lightsaber across Nihilus. The remaining Sith distingerated and disappeared while the remaining Sith serpents slithered away, leaving the mask back on its pedestal. "Even knowing about what the darkness was capable of beforehand, the extent of its power still surprises me"

"The presence of Nihilus is stronger than you originally thought?" said Luke.

"Worse; I fear that the Spirit of Nihilus still endures inside his mask, fully aware of his surroundings and fully capable of manipulating the world around it" said K'Kruhk "The gathering darkness was more than a simple coincidence"

"Then what are we going to do?" asked Ahsoka.

"We have to get it off Korriban immediately" said K'Kruhk "Anywhere strong with the dark side will only give it more power" Suddenly, a powerful laser bolt fired forward and went straight through him shoulder causing him to collapse onto the ground as if he were dead.

"Master K'Kruhk!" exclaimed Luke. Suddenly, several drones flew out and contained them within a force field. "What is this?"

"Finally!" said a voice. Boba Fett entered the chamber.

"Fett!" said Luke.

"What are you doing here?!" snapped Ahsoka.

"I've been traversing this planet for days" replied Fett "The Emperor has put a high demand for ancient Sith artefacts so I came to find some; but the tombs were harder to navigate than I originally thought. Fortunately I happened to come across you bunch and knew exactly where to look"

"Fett, don't take that mask" said Ahsoka "You'll doom us all"

"Like I care" said Fett. He walked up to the pedestal (pushing away K'Kruhk's body in the process) and looked down at the mask. "Sometimes this is just too easy!" He grabbed ahold of the mask and ran out of the chamber.

"Fett, stop!" said Luke.

"Oh no!" said Ahsoka. At that moment, K'Kruhk got himself up.

"Master K'Kruhk, you're alive!" exclaimed Luke "How—"

"I'll explain later" replied K'Kruhk. He looked back at the pedestal. "Where is the mask?"

"Boba Fett took it" replied Ahsoka. K'Kruhk extended his hand out and crushed the drones that contained them within a force field.

"No time to wait, we have to stop him before he leads the planet" said K'Kruhk. They rushed outside just in time to see _Slave I_ lifting off and flying away out of the valley. "Quickly, we can still stop him" He force-gripped tight onto _Slave I_ and held it back. "C'mon; together now!" As Luke, Ahsoka, and Uchji joined in, Fett looked down at his navigation computer and typed into the controls.

"Use the Force against me, huh?" said Fett "Let's see how well you do against hyperspace!" Within moments, _Slave I_ shot off into hyperspace, leaving behind a wave of dust.

"We…We lost him!" said Luke.

"This is very bad" said Ahsoka "What are we going to do now?"

"We'll head back to the shuttle and see where we go from there" replied K'Kruhk "It seems that the fate of the Jedi, the fate of the galaxy, perhaps the fate of the Force itself now lies in Fett's hands"

 **Author's note #1** : Yeah, I really went _Twin Peaks_ with that Jedi Council scene.

 **Author's note #2** : I tried to keep Darth Nihilus story as self-contained as I could in order to avoid too much reliance on knowing _Knights of the Old Republic_ to understand it.

 **CT7567Rules** : Petro and Gungi haven't turned up just yet, but they will. As for Chelaa having two lightsabers, I actually like that idea.

 **Martin** : It took me time, but I finally got the Galen Marek story in; I'm glad you liked it :)


	21. Dark Possession

**Dark Possession**

 _Dark secrets revealed! After various random on Ithor drew the attention of the Alliance, General Madine made an investigation made an investigation and discovered that the attackers were not Imperials at all but belong to a mystery third party faction. Unbeknownst to them, the forces on the surface belong to a mysterious criminal organization being led by the shadowy Tyber Zann and the lethal Urai Fen!_

 _But as Madine attempts to convince the Ithorian Elders that more troops must be moved to the planet's surface, Jedi Master K'Kruhk arrives to Ithor with a Miraluka woman who claims that the gathering darkness comes from the Sith homeworld of Korriban and belongs to a long dead Sith Lord named Darth Nihilus, so powerful that he could drain an entire planet of its life! After arriving on Korriban and discovering that Nihilus's spirit lives on in his mask, they were attacked by bounty hunter Boba Fett who took the mask in an attempt to sell off to the Empire! Now they find themselves going through hyperspace, hoping to find some clue of where the bounty hunter has gone…_

 _Hyperspace_

"Are you sure you want to keep piloting?" asked Luke as he entered the cockpit of the shuttle where K'Kruhk was piloting "I mean; if you're still injured, I could always—"

"It's alright" said K'Kruhk "I'm alright"

"Okay, that's good" said Luke as he sat down in the chair next to him "So there's was one thing I wanted to know; back at the tomb, that shot that Fett got you with should have killed you; was it some kind of Force ability?"

"Not exactly" replied K'Kruhk "My species, the Whiphid, have the ability to go into a hibernative trance to heal intense injuries that could otherwise kill us. During this time, our metabolism lowers to the point that we appear to be dead while our body repairs itself. The amount of time varies depending on how great the injury, ranging from days to months in worse cases"

"You got up almost instantaneously" said Luke.

"I suppose after everything I've been through in the Clone Wars, a simple blaster shot was barely anything" said K'Kruhk "I was once mauled by General Grievous and I only walked away from it because of my trance. It's fortunate that blaster shot didn't hit any vital organs, it just went straight through me"

"So how are we going to track Fett?" asked Luke "He got away before we could lock onto his coordinates"

"He'll most likely go to Coruscant since the Emperor would want Sith artefacts brought to him immediately" replied K'Kruhk "To get there, he'll have to travel halfway across the galaxy since Coruscant is in the Core Worlds. I doubt his ship will get there in one trip, so he'll have to stop at least once along the way to refuel"

"So we'll just search system to system until we find him?" asked Luke.

"Not exactly, but we'll have to try something" said K'Kruhk "We saw what Nihilus was capable on his own even without a true body; if the Emperor gets his hands on that mask, we can only imagine the pain and suffering that will come" He looked around. "Actually, I would appreciate it if you'd take control for a little bit; I have to inform Kota and Sitra about this"

"I'll stay on alert" said Luke as he sat down in the pilot seat as K'Kruhk left.

 _Meanwhile in Tafanda Bay_

"With all due respect; this is not a subject to argue, we need more troops now" said Madine. He stood within the Ithorian Elders chamber with Tendau Bendon by his side.

"I understand what you are saying, General Madine; but you must understand the importance of our beliefs" said Elder Idduhl (male) in Ithorese "No matter what happens, we must respect Mother Jungle at all costs"

"We must not let war come to Ithor" said Elder Omflu (female) in Ithorese.

"I'm afraid war has already come to Ithor, whether we want to or not" said Madine.

"According to your reports, the intruders are not Imperial but rather a private army of some sort" said Elder Naurtea (male) in Ithorese "Surely they can be dealt with strategically rather than with a full out battle"

"That may sound like that on paper, but it's not that simple" said Madine "From what I've seen of this mysterious army, they have weapons and technology the likes of which the war has never seen before"

"Like what exactly?" asked Elder Mintun (male) in Ithorese.

"For starters, there was a tank that could fire a powerful plasma blast; and I heard reports of strange wolf-like creatures attacking our forces that don't match the description of any native fauna" replied Madine "If their entire army is made up of things like that, we could be in big trouble"

"Our forests and fields cannot grow in ash" said Elder Liw (female) in Ithorese "Flowers cannot blossom when the roots are cindered. If a battle is fought, what is to say the aftermath will not be a bloody one?" Madine looked back at Bendon who gave him a concerned look.

"Listen; I admit that I cannot guarantee that there will be no collateral damage, but that is not the defining point" said Madine "These people may not be Imperials, but they're not afraid to cause even greater damage to the planet and they're very dangerous. If a battle does come to be, there will be damage; but if we have the forces needed to drive them back, you will be free them. The thought of the aftermath may be daunting; but given time, your forests will grow new life. I'm not asking to build a permanent base or place an occupying force on planet; I'm just asking to allow more military forces on the surface. And when it's over, the only rebel forces on Ithor will be relief missions. It's your choice; but for the safety of your future, I urge you to consider my offer" Elder Idduhl stroked his face in thought.

 _Meanwhile_

"Those things were unlike anything I'd ever encountered before" said Ahsoka as she and Uchji sat at the back of the shuttle "They were beasts but I could sense the Force within them and it was like they were targeting me with them"

"Sentients are not the only beings who are Force-sensitive, various creatures are too" said Uchji "Although very few can manipulate it, they can still feel it and use it to whatever ways their natural behavior sees fit. I can sense that there's another question on your mind, please tell me"

"It's just something I've been wondering for a little while" said Ahsoka "You seem to know a lot about Nihilus; I mean, I was with the Jedi Order for years and I never knew about him or any of the Sith Lords of the Old Republic"

"The Lurmen monks taught me much about lore and history, after a while it becomes second nature to you" said Uchji.

"That's not the only thing I was concerned about" said Ahsoka "Back on Korriban, you knew instantly where Nihilus's tomb was just by sensing it; I couldn't make out anything with all the dark energy in the air. You and Nihilus seem to share some kind of connection and you've never met before. There's something you're not telling us, isn't there?"

"It's something about my heritage that I wanted to forget; and yet, I keep finding myself back in this situation" replied Uchji "It is true that Nihilus and I share a connection; but it was not something that formed between us, rather something that was handed down to me"

"By the Force, you don't mean—" asked Ahsoka.

"Yes; I am the last descendent of Visas Marr, Nihilus's Miraluka apprentice" replied Uchji.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Ahsoka.

"Like I said, it was something I would rather forget" replied Uchji "I know that may sound selfish; but if you knew what my bloodline has been through, you would understand why I desire to get away from all of it. Don't look at Nihilus sparing Visas Marr's life as a kindness; she may have been his apprentice, but she wasn't given the same rights as a Jedi Apprentice or even a regular Sith Apprentice. She was essentially his slave, begging for death but never receiving. Even with Nihilus dead, their bond as master and apprentice didn't end there; it stayed with her 'till last breath and it was passed on down her bloodline. All those who had the bond were haunted by nightmares of him for their entire life, and now I'm all that's left and they're worse than ever. I could see him, I could feel him, I can barely sleep because of how real they seem to be getting. For years it was thought to merely be an after effect of his death, but I now know the truth; it was a warning, and I received the worst of it because his return was in my lifetime. I joined the monks so I could escape them, but they only got worse. After I had the latest dream, Samfor knew immediately that we had to act"

"It's not your fault, we were about to get ahold of that mask until Fett showed up" said Ahsoka "But we'll get it back, I promise"

"You don't know the gravity of what awaits us if he returns" said Uchji "He is a wound in the Force, more presence than flesh; and in his wake life dies…sacrificing itself to his hunger"

"Wait, that's it!" said Ahsoka.

"What is?" asked Uchji.

"If the bond is passed on to you, perhaps we can use it to our advantage" said Ahsoka "Maybe you could sense where it is"

"Ahsoka, I'm not sure if that would work" said Uchji.

"Just think about it" said Ahsoka "You were able to locate Nihilus's tomb back on Korriban when we couldn't find anything beneath all the dark side that shrouded the planet, that's got to count for something"

"We were in close proximity so sensing it and finding it wasn't too much of a stretch" said Uchji "But you're talking about locating a potentially moving target that is potentially parsecs away"

"Uchji; if what you say about Nihilus is true, we have to find that mask immediately" said Ahsoka "This is perhaps our best option and we can't lose it"

"Okay, I'll give it a try; but if doesn't work, then it doesn't work" said Uchji.

"It's better to try doing the right thing then to just give up" said Ahsoka.

"Easier said than done" said Uchji as she sat down with her legs crossed and meditated.

 _Meanwhile_

Tyber Zann stood at the top of his palace looking out with a pair of electrobinoculars at the gathering rebel forces.

"How was the interrogation?" asked Tyber as Urai walked up to him.

"Unsuccessful" replied Urai "We used every method without killing him and he still won't tell us the information we want"

"He's much tougher than he seems then" said Tyber "Did he say anything useful at all?"

"Only one thing, but I strongly advise against it" replied Urai "The moment I mentioned the Alliance, he said he wanted to join us"

"Really?" said Tyber "It's funny you should mention that because we could really use more assistance now. The rebels must really have gotten into the Ithorians' heads. They're not scouting anymore, they're preparing for battle"

"We should leave now" said Urai "To get involved with either side of this galactic conflict is unwise" Tyber scratched his chin and looked up at the sky.

"Where there are forces on the ground, there must also be forces in the sky" said Tyber "With a possible Alliance fleet up there, most of our ships would probably get shot down or captured before we even escape; and we know all too well that they can't be bought. No, we have to play this delicately"

"What is to be done?" asked Urai.

"The largest Ithorian village is not far from here" replied Tyber "I'll send out our forces to hold it hostage while you go out with the vornskr to thin out the rebels numbers. With shortening ground forces and Ithorians hostage, they'll have no choice but to let us out"

"I can't shake the feeling that this isn't going to work" said Urai.

"Worry all you want, Urai; it's our best option, and the one I'm going to take" said Tyber "Gather the vornskr; I'll handle the village"

"Even with do claim the village we still have the matter of holding it' said Urai "The rebels are known for their stealth skills; if we underestimate them, we could lose everything"

"Well; we have a few tricks up our sleeves as well, don't we?" said Tyber.

"Tyber, I know what you're thinking; but I advise against this" said Urai.

"I'm just mentioning it because you told me about his talk of joining us" said Tyber "With someone like him, we might not even need to take the villagers themselves hostage; we'd probably leave the ground forces in a state of surrender"

"Dark Jedi are not to be trusted, they seek only their own gain" said Urai "Whatever he says about an allegiance is merely a trick to free him; and once that's done, he'll turn on us without hesitation"

"I only mentioned that he wanted to join us, I never said anything about being loyal to him" said Tyber "Once we're done with him, we'll dispose of him"

"You don't know Dark Jedi like I do, it's not as simple as that" said Urai.

"Alright, alright; a worst case scenario then" said Tyber.

"Not even that" said Urai "I'll gather the vornskr and attack the rebels; but remember what I said; do not trust him even if you merely wish to trick him"

"Dually noted" said Tyber. Urai turned and left. "And ignored" He turned and left.

 _Meanwhile_

The rebel army gathered in front of a herd of cellwan.

"Everyone's here, good" said Madine.

"General, our scouts have discovered a mysterious building near the largest Ithorian village" said a rebel trooper who walked up to him "They also noted that they spotted tanks and troopers who look like the ones that attacked you earlier"

"Then I guess we've found them" said Madine.

"Who are they exactly?" asked Rianna.

"That's what we intend to find out" said Madine.

"General, I think I found something" said Napiat.

"What is it?" asked Madine as he walked over to him.

"I examined the remains of the tank and I found a symbol on it" said Napiat "I did some searching and finally found some information on it" He lifted up a datapad that had the Zann Consortium symbol on it.

"I've seen that before" said Madine "It's the symbol that was on Cadfurew's stomach"

"It's the Zann Consortium logo" said Napiat "They're a crime syndicate that have been interfering with Rebel and Imperial operations in the war and have been gaining power within the underworld at an alarming rate. We've found information Cadfurew may have been affiliated with them"

"Do we know anything about their leadership?" asked Madine. Napiat brought up a picture of Tyber Zann on the datapad.

"They're led by this guy—Tyber Zann" said Napiat "He was a cadet at the Imperial Academy of Carida until he was expelled due to taking part in black market operations, the start of his criminal syndicate. Afterwards, he formed an alliance with Jabba the Hutt to help further his underworld operations; but after Zann attempted to gain power over the Hutt, he was captured by Imperial forces on Felucia and brought to a prison on Kessel. He was eventually freed by his partner slash bodyguard Urai Fen who had been furthering his operations in his absence. Ever since then, the Consortium has been gaining more and more power within the criminal underworld; and now it appears they've attempted to gain Ithor as a base of operations"

"That Talortai, Urai Fen, he's the same one that helped Havdori escape" said Madine.

"Do you think they're connected somehow?" asked Rianna.

"It's certainly no coincidence" said Madine "We know that Havdori was an associate of Cadfurew and we haven't seen him since that incident above Nal Hutta. Maybe he's found refuge within the Consortium to plan his next move" At that moment, there was a flash of black and one of the rebel troopers was pulled back into the jungle.

"What was that!?" exclaimed Tani.

"It must have been one of those creatures from before" said Orrimaarko "Get ready for them!"

"No" said Madine "We couldn't defeat them before, we have no time to risk lives just to try it now. Let's get back to the ships and try to move to higher ground far away from this area"

"We should just bomb the building and get it over with" said Orrimaarko.

"That's what the Imperials would do" replied Madine "Remember, we're trying to convince the Ithorians that we're better than the Empire; it took a lot of effort to convince them to let us down here. Now back to the ships" They turned back to the GR-75 medium transports when a group of vornskr leapt in front of them with Urai stepping in front.

"Going somewhere?" said Urai. A stern look befell on Madine's face.

 _Meanwhile_

Tyber stepped into Havdori's cell.

"So you've finally come to see me yourself, Tyber Zann" said Havdori.

"Forgive Urai's cynical behavior" said Tyber "It was his idea to lock you up, not mine"

"You seem perfectly content with him torturing me though" said Havdori.

"He seems very convinced that you're too dangerous to be reasoned with" said Tyber.

"And what do you think?" asked Havdori.

"I don't know; we haven't truly met before, have we?" replied Tyber "However, Urai did inform me that you wish to join us"

"Indeed I did" said Havdori.

"Urai however remains skeptical about this" said Tyber "He tells me that Dark Jedi like yourself are not to be trusted"

"I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Dark Jedi, although the term is generic for any Non-Sith dark side user" said Havdori.

"What would you call yourself then?" asked Tyber.

"I am a historian" replied Havdori "I collect things that I wish to research, specifically things of dark side properties or history. Unfortunately, the Emperor doesn't take kindly to those who collect such items and doesn't give it to him; so I hid as the Chief-of-State of the Rebel Alliance to continue my research with a smokescreen, setting up underworld ties to find them further. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. Now here I am, your prisoner"

"Cadfurew always thought highly of you as an ally due to your…powers and knowledge" said Tyber "It just so happens that I could use some assistance. There's an army of rebels forming not far from here and I need help dispersing it. Urai retrieved your lightsaber from the ship so I'll supply it to you before the attack. You fight for us and in return we'll let you continue your research"

"It's good to know that we can come to an understanding" said Havdori.

"Never make an enemy out of someone you can make a friend" said Tyber "We'll free you shortly" He left the cell. "Commander" A defiler walked up to Tyber.

"Yes, Tyber Zann" said the Defiler.

"When we go out into battle, have you and the rest of the men keep a close eye on him" said Tyber.

"But isn't he supposed to fight with us?" asked the Defiler.

"Yes, as planned" replied Tyber "But Urai is right in one respect, he can't be trusted fully. Once he does what I want him to do, there's no guarantee that he won't turn on us. The moment I give the order, shoot him at once"

"How are we supposed to kill a Dark Jedi?" asked the defiler.

"The same way you kill a regular Jedi" replied Tyber "Ever wonder why the Jedi could start out as a power but became nothing more than a dying race? Their armies of clone troopers outnumbered them a hundred to one; so we will do the same, outnumbering him and killing him"

"I thought you said that you kept him around this long because he may come of use" said the defiler.

"I thought that at first" replied Tyber "When I heard of his achievements, I became fascinated and thought he could be of good use to us. But Urai was right; and as much as I hate to admit, we have to accept it. But perhaps we can get some bit of use out of him before we "retire" his services"

 _Meanwhile_

"The moment you get that mask, you must return it to us immediately" said Kota's hologram "I've heard about spirits of Force-users existing within the material world; but being able to physically interact with the material world, that is something so rare it could be called nonexistent"

"An artefact that contains the spirit of a long dead Sith Lord that can interact with the world, it's worth exploring" said Sitra's hologram.

"We have to make sure it's secure and that it has no contact with anything or anyone else" said Kota "The possibility of Nihilus coming back to haunt to galaxy is something we cannot afford"

"That we can all agree on" said K'Kruhk "We'll do what we can, I just wish it was more"

"We're already sending out available troops to systems between Korriban and Coruscant; but I fear that bounty hunter might just slip through our fingers, he has done so in the past" said Kota "Is there anything else you wish to discuss"

"There was one more thing" said K'Kruhk "It's time we talk about Skywalker's training. Ever since what happened to Obi-Wan, he's relied upon himself to complete his training. Whilst the progress he's made is impressive, it feels like we're only pushing him away by not assigning a proper master to him. As each day passes, the fear of creating another Vader haunts me; so I believe we have to do something now while there's still hope"

"We've been over this before; with no proper Order and the danger of the Sith looming over the Alliance, to be part of the war whilst training a padawan is to invite disaster" said Sitra "Look; I care about Luke's wellbeing as much as everyone else, but we have to have rules that we stick to"

"Perhaps, but what if it's not a usual master-apprentice teaching?" said K'Kruhk.

"Explain further" said Sitra.

"His partnership with Ahsoka Tano has become a big part of his progress" said K'Kruhk "Perhaps we should turn to that as a means to continue his training"

"I have sensed a powerful connection between the two of them; something I've hoped would be a positive thing" said Sitra "If we can find a way to use their connection to further the growth of both of them, I would be behind it"

"I have spoken to Luke about keeping his emotions in check" said Kota "Perhaps you've found something that could help all of us. We'll discuss this further after Nihilus's mask is secure"

 _A few minutes later_

K'Kruhk entered the room of the shuttle where Uchji was meditating.

"What's happening here?" asked K'Kruhk.

"Uchji's searching for Nihilus" replied Ahsoka.

"Given the vastness of the galaxy, it should take some time" said K'Kruhk.

"Not as much as you'd think" said Ahsoka "The two share a bond; I think if she can focus enough, she'll find where the mask"

"How do the two share a bond if they've never met before?" asked K'Kruhk "She may know about the legend, but he died thousands of years ago"

"Believe me, it's a long story" said Ahsoka. As the two of them talked, Uchji felt a strange and sinister (yet familiar presence) almost leak into her mind.

" _Where are you?_

 _I know you're out there somewhere but where exactly…"_

 _Uchji's vision_

Suddenly, the images of various planets flickered past her at an alarming rate before the image of Malastare finally stopped right in front of her. The image zoomed into a spaceport where _Slave I_ sat with Darth Nihilus's mask lying in the back of it.

 _Back to reality_

Ucji gasped abruptly and fell onto her hands.

"Is she alright?" asked C-3PO. R2 beeped.

"Uchji, what is it?" asked Ahsoka as she ran over to her side.

"Malastare!" gasped Uchji "He's on Malastare!"

"I'll inform Skywalker of this" said K'Kruhk "Take care of her" He walked over to the cockpit while Ahsoka helped Uchji lay onto her back.

 _Meanwhile_

As several rebel troopers shot at Urai, he ran up to them (showing little signs of weakening from the shots) and slashed through them with his blades. Madine shot at the vornskr who were attacking the troops and vehicles when a vornskr leapt onto him and pinned him to the ground. But just when the vornskr was about to devour him, Rianna leapt onto its back and stabbed it in the neck various times with her spring-knife until it was dead.

"Thanks" said Madine as he got himself up.

"Don't mention it" said Rianna. The two of them looked over at Urai who was slicing his way through rebel forces effortlessly with the vornskr. "I think it's best if we take him out first"

"Agreed" said Madine "Everyone, aim and fire at the Talortai" The T2-B repulsor tanks and AT-APs began opening fire on Urai who dodged the shots and began dismantling the rebel vehicles with relative ease. BX began shooting at him but Urai cut one of his arms off and kicked him aside. He then grabbed Napiat by the tail and slammed him into Carlp's face. Tani snuck up behind him and threw a thermal detonator at him which he deflected with his blades.

"Oh shoot!" said Tani. She ducked down and avoided the grenade just before it collided into the forest behind her. Madine, Rianna, and Orrimaarko began shooting at him but he deflected it with his blades and charged towards them, knocking them straight off their feet.

"You should never have come here!" said Urai as he raised his blades, ready to slash all of them. Suddenly, a plasma blast shot out and destroyed an AT-AP. Urai turned his head and looked out at the various vehicles speeding out; various MZ-8 Mobile Pulse Cannons, Missile Attack Launchers, and _Canderous_ -class assault tanks sped out and opened fire on the Rebel forces.

"Quick, before he sees us!" said Orrimaarko quietly as he, Madine, and Rianna snuck away. As Urai looked out at the approaching forces, he noticed Havdori leading them with his lightsaber ignited and using his Force powers to destroy the rebel forces.

"Is that—" said Madine quietly.

"No time to talk" said Rianna quietly "Let's move it!"

"Tyber, what have you done now!" growled Urai.

 _Meanwhile_

"Here, keep the change" said Fett as he handed the Dug fueler some credits "Still can't believe how much of a toll on my fuel that last hyperspace jump took. You're just lucky I'm on the job and in a hurry"

"Gongadan!" said the Dug before walking off. Fett huffed and walked back inside _Slave I_ where he sat down on a crate, picked up Nihilus's mask, and looked at it.

"What's so special about this little thing?" said Fett as he looked closer into the mask "Some kind of special power? There must be some reason why the Emperor wants things like this" As he looked closer at the mask, he began to feel a great urge to put it on himself. As the urge rushed through him, he found himself slowly start to pull his helmet off.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Fett" said K'Kruhk. Fett readjusted his helmet and turned to see K'Kruhk, Luke, Ahsoka, and Uchji standing in front of him.

"Jedi!" said Fett as he stood himself up and placed the mask behind the crates "You don't just give up, do you?"

"Enough of this" said K'Kruhk "Fett, you have no idea of the danger of the item you carry. Give it to us and we can end this without bloodshed"

"I spent days looking for something of this item's caliber" said Fett "I'm not handing it over to the likes of you!" He unleashed his flamethrower upon them.

"Get back!" exclaimed K'Kruhk as he and the others stepped back away from the flames. He reached out and crushed the flamethrower with the Force. Fett pulled out his blaster rifle and began firing like mad at them so they ignited their lightsabers and deflected the shots. Suddenly, Fett activated his jetpack and flew at K'Kruhk, pulling him to the ground. "Go for the mask, now!" As Luke, Ahsoka, and Uchji ran inside the ship, Fett activated a device on his wrist which triggered several modified Mark IV sentry droids to arise from the surrounding crates and start shooting at them with modified blasters.

"He really had this all figured out, didn't he?" said Ahsoka as she and Luke deflected the shots.

"I can't get past there!" said Uchji "Too many…shots!"

"Then just follow us, we'll cover you" said Ahsoka. They began slowly moving over to the crates, deflecting each of the shots in the process.

"Oh no you don't!" said Fett. He activated his jetpack again and flew back towards the ship. As K'Kruhk got himself back up, Fett noticed him and began shooting back at him. As K'Kruhk deflected the shots, he force-pushed Fett into a nearby building and rushed back over to _Slave I_. Fett activated his jetpack again and flew back to his ship; shooting out his fibercord whip at Ahsoka's wrists and pulling her out and throwing her into K'Kruhk. He then flew down and landed on top of Luke. "Say goodbye!" As he aimed his blaster rifle at Luke's head, Luke rolled to the side, ignited his lightsaber again, and pointed it at Fett.

"You should have gone with the easy option, Fett" said Luke "You could have just given us the mask and we'd let you get away this one time; but now, we're taking you down too"

"Better rebels then you have tried" said Fett. He shot a rocket out at Luke who leapt back out of the way; and before anyone could react, Fett pulled up the loading ramp and lifted the ship up. "So much for Jedi; really shows how far they've fallen"

"I might have something to say about that" said a voice. A hand swung in and knocked Fett in the back of the head, knocking him out. Uchji stepped out from the shadows and took over the controls of the ship, lowering it down.

"What's going on?" said Ahsoka as she got herself up.

"It's coming back down" said Luke as he ignited his lightsaber "Get ready!" Ahsoka and K'Kruhk ignited their lightsabers as well.

"Wait, where's Uchji?" asked Ahsoka. The moment _Slave I_ landed, the ramp went down revealing Uchji standing over the body of the unconscious Boba Fett.

"He's out, but I doubt it's for long" said Uchji. Luke and Ahsoka ran up to Fett and pulled him out by the arms over to the shuttle.

"Where's the mask?" asked K'Kruhk. Uchji pulled Nihilus's mask out.

"I found it amidst the crates" replied Uchji.

"Good, now hand it to me so we can get it out of sight" said K'Kruhk. Uchji was about to hand the mask over when she pulled it back. "Uchji, hand me the mask" Uchji looked down at the mask and began hearing the sounds of Nihilus's Sith speech in her head. "Uchji? Uchji? Uchji, hand me the mask, please" Uchji stuffed the mask into his hands.

"Take care of it" said Uchji.

 _Force sight_

As K'Kruhk nodded and headed back to the shuttle, Uchji looked over at him and at the red light coming from the mask which she somehow found very alluring.

 _Meanwhile_

Tyber leapt off a moving F9-TZ transport with his blaster ready and started shooting down squads of Rebels.

"Good to see you've done good work, Urai" said Tyber.

"What is the meaning of this, Tyber?!" asked Urai "You said you were going to take the Ithorian village hostage!"

"In due time, Urai" said Tyber "But I figured I may as well help you with the thinning out of the rebel forces"

"And what's he doing here?!" snapped Urai whilst pointing at Havdori "I told you not to let him out!"

"And you were right, Urai; I misjudged him when he arrived" said Tyber "I thought he could be useful, but he really is more dangerous than I originally thought. But that doesn't mean we can't get him to do something for us first"

"This is a bad idea" said Urai "We should kill him now"

"In due time" said Tyber "Don't worry, I have this"

"Sometimes I wonder if you do" said Urai.

"To the ships, quickly!" yelled Madine. The remaining rebel forces desperately rushed over to the transports (many of them getting shot down in the process), got onboard them, and flew off, with one of the transports being shot down by plasma tanks in the process.

"Pursue them at once!" snapped Urai.

"No, it would only tire us out" said Tyber.

"With all due respect, Tyber; you shouldn't just expect the enemy to be no longer a threat simply because they retreat" said Urai "A retreat is not necessarily a defeat, sometimes it's merely a device for the enemy to regroup and save their energy to fight again"

"You should listen more to your bodyguard, Tyber Zann" said Havdori "At times he's the only voice of reason around here"

"Yes; you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" said Tyber as he turned and aimed his blaster at Havdori. The mercenaries and defilers followed suit.

"Tyber, what is the meaning of this abrupt act?" asked Havdori.

"Did you really think I was going to keep you around forever?" said Tyber "I know all about you Dark Jedi; you're like Sith like Darth Vader, only you don't give yourself a name that starts with Darth"

"Your more naïve than I originally thought, Zann" said Havdori "I am nothing like Vader, and you should know that if you wish to dabble with Force-users. Besides, your behavior seems quite contradictive to when we first met; when you first brought me aboard your star destroyer, you told me that you kept me alive because I may be of some use to you"

"I thought that when I heard that you were able to manipulate the Rebel Alliance, a major faction in the galactic war" said Tyber "I saw you as an asset; and while you are to an extent, you are also a threat. One who could stab me in the back anytime; there are only so many risks I'm willing to take"

"Pity, I thought we really had come to an understanding" said Havdori "But I had no idea you had both extreme ego and paranoia. So how exactly are you going to kill me?"

"By shooting you of course" replied Tyber.

"Right, shooting me" said Havdori "With the help of these mercenaries who you hired with the use of credits"

"What are you on about now?" asked Tyber.

"I'm just mentioning that this seems to a lot of loyalty for hired guns" replied Havdori "How much is he paying you anyway? Surely it's enough to potentially throw away your life on"

"You're the one who's dying here" said Tyber

"I will admit that is so" said Havdori "How exactly are you planning to kill me anyway?"

"By shooting you of course" replied Tyber.

"Very well" said Havdori "I will let you know this, I will not go down without a fight; I still have my lightsaber on me and the moment you begin shooting, I will dedicate the last moments of my life to kill as many of you as I can. I cannot guarantee who, but I guarantee I will make the most of it. Is that really what you want?"

"Enough!" snapped Tyber "Shoot now!" Suddenly, all the mercenaries turned their blasters towards him. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Sorry, boss; but he's right" said the defiler "We're willing to fight for you, but don't think for one second that we're willing to die for you"

"Why you!" snapped Tyber shortly before Havdori started force-choking him "You'll die for this, Havdori!"

"Will I?" said Havdori. Suddenly, Urai slashed past, cut Havdori's hand clean off, grabbed Tyber, and ran off into the jungle with the vornskr. The defiler and the mercenaries turned towards the jungle.

"No!" said Havdori whilst wrapping his bleeding wrist with the cloth of his sleeve "Leave them. He has no power anymore"

"Don't get cozy, big guy" said the defiler "You may have dismantled the reason we should follow Tyber, but why should we tolerate you any longer?"

"Two reasons" replied Havdori "Firstly, you all witnessed how I performed on the battlefield. I have great power and fighting abilities that is advantageous to leading figures. With me as your leader, I will personally lead you into battle"

"Tyber already did that" said the defiler.

"Which leads me to my second reason" said Havdori "Tyber paid you moderately in credits to perform the tasks he gave you"

"Yeah" said the defiler "And what do you offer us?"

"What I offer you is of much, much greater value than simple credits" said Havdori.

"And what is it?" asked the Defiler.

"Power" replied Havdori "Follow my orders and I guarantee that we will one day rule more than just the underworld, we will rule the galaxy. Under my leadership, the Empire and Rebel Alliance will be powerless"

 _Meanwhile_

Uchji lay in meditation as the shuttle flew through hyperspace when she heard an unsettling yet somewhat familiar voice creep into her head.

" _Uchji…_

 _Uchji…"_

Uchji stood herself up, breathed heavily, and looked around. She breathed in, stroking her fingers through her hair, and slowly walked off down the hallway.

 _Meanwhile_

"Can't believe it, can't believe it!" said Ahsoka as she sat herself down in a corner "Everything's fine, everything's going smoothly; yet I can't shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen. Should I…Should I tell Luke and Master K'Kruhk? Do…Do I have to use Daughter?" She rubbed her hands on her forehead. "Stay calm, think straight. What would Obi-Wan do if he was here?"

"Perhaps you should ask him yourself?" said a voice. Ahsoka looked up to see Obi-Wan's ghost standing before her.

"Master Obi-Wan!" exclaimed Ahsoka.

"It's been a long time" said Obi-Wan with a smile "Hello Ahsoka"

 _Meanwhile_

"We're halfway to Corellia" said Luke.

"The sooner we're there, the sooner we can decide on what to do with this mask" said K'Kruhk.

"Will we destroy it?" asked Luke.

"We'll see if we can" replied K'Kruhk "If we can't, we'll just have to hide it away somewhere where no one can find it. Uchji peered out the side of the doorway.

 _Force sight_

She briefly looked at the two blue figures of Luke and K'Kruhk and then looked down at the small box behind them, noticing the red glow of the mask inside.

 _Back to normal_

Uchji extended her hand out and moved the box towards her with the Force, slowly so not to attract their attention.

"I hope the others are doing well at Ithor" said Luke.

 _Meanwhile_

"So that's the story so far" said Ahsoka "We've got the mask, we've apprehended Fett, and we're on our way to Corellia so we can decide what to do with it; yet I still can't relax, I feel even more tense then ever"

"Then what is it you're afraid of?" asked Obi-Wan

"If the mask falls into the wrong hands…there may be a way to stop it, but it will be very costly for me" said Ahsoka "You'd probably think this is insane, but—"

"Ahsoka, I know about Daughter" said Obi-Wan.

"You do?" said Ahsoka "Since when?"

"Ever since we left Mortis, you haven't been quite the same as when you entered" replied Obi-Wan "I could a faint of spark of life dwelling within you, growing as you grew, a whisper coming from it; it was so small that most Jedi wouldn't notice it"

"Then why didn't you tell me?" asked Ahsoka.

"It was something you didn't need to know at that time" replied Obi-Wan.

"Didn't need to know at that time?" said Ahsoka.

"Some explanations only mean something if you figure it out yourself" said Obi-Wan "You still had your training to complete, that was what was important at the time; if I had told you then, would you have needed it?" Ahsoka thought for a moment.

"Man, Luke's teaching must have been torture" said Ahsoka "Daughter told me that if I "bond" with her, she'll be able to take physical form again with all her powers and everything. We eventually tried it and it was…effective, but it didn't feel right. She thinks that if we stay bonded for too long we'll become permanently merged together as one. I know I shouldn't be worried, but I still can't shake this feeling from within. What should I do? What do you think Anakin would have done in this situation?"

"Ahsoka, you shouldn't think of what Anakin would have done and believe it's what you should do" said Obi-Wan "Believe me, I too have looked up to other Jedi Masters and aspired to be them; and while thinking of what they can do can help you make a decision, it shouldn't necessarily be the decision you make. You must do what you think is right, Ahsoka. I cannot make the decision for you; whatever you decide, it will be your own choice"

"I…I think I understand" said Ahsoka.

"I wish I could do more, but time has passed" said Obi-Wan "It is up to you now to decide what must be done" He faded away.

 _Meanwhile_

As Uchji pulled the box in towards her, she took a deep breath in and slowly opened it. She looked down at the mask and carefully picked it up. As she looked closely at it, she could hear Nihilus's Sith speech in her head. Suddenly, there was a sudden jolt.

"What just happened?!" exclaimed Luke. K'Kruhk looked down at the controls and noticed that they were now on a course to Ithor.

"I don't know how, but the shuttle has changed its course" said K'Kruhk "We're not going to Corellia anymore, we're going to Ithor"

"Is there any way we can switch it back?" asked Luke. K'Kruhk typed into the controls but nothing happened.

"It's not responding" said K'Kruhk "How—" He looked down where the box once was and noticed that it was missing before turning his head towards Uchji who desperately shoved the mask away. He walked over to her. "What is the meaning of this? Why did you open that box?"

"I…I had to look at it one last time" replied Uchji.

"You of all people should know that is dangerous" said K'Kruhk. As they came out of hyperspace above Ithor, Ahsoka rushed up to them with C-3PO and R2 following them.

"I felt the jolt" said Ahsoka "What is it?"

"Nihilus's mask has sent us back to Ithor" replied Luke "We don't know why, but it can't be good"

"Good heavens, where's the Rebel fleet?" asked C-3PO. K'Kruhk looked down at the controls.

"It appears that we're on the other side of the planet" replied K'Kruhk. He sat down and moved the shuttle forward. "It looks like we can move again" At that moment, two _StarViper_ -class attack platforms snuck up behind them silently. "I'll see if we can move it around to the other side to meet up with the—" Suddenly, the _StarViper_ s started shooting at them rapidly.

"What is it now!?" exclaimed Luke.

"We're under attack, we have to move quickly!" said K'Kruhk. As he steered the ship, C-3PO accidently knocked into R2 who screamed

"Oh my!" exclaimed C-3PO. As the StarVipers chased them down towards the planet's atmosphere, they shot out a pair of missiles each which flew out and exploded in front of them, releasing countless yellow specks on them.

"What was that?!" exclaimed Uchji. The yellow specks squeaked and revealed themselves to be buzz droids which started tearing the planet apart.

"Buzz droids!" said Ahsoka "Shake them off, quick!" As they attempted to shake the buzz droids off, the StarVipers started shooting them more.

"We're losing control!" said K'Kruhk "Brace yourselves!" As they spiraled out of control, Uchji noticed the box click open again. She ran over to it, grabbed it, and desperately tried to close it just before the StarVipers shot them again and sent them crashing into the ground within the jungle.

 _A few minutes later_

Havdori jumped off an F9-TZ transport and walked over to the crashed remains of the shuttle.

"How long ago was this?" asked Havdori.

"Only a few minutes" replied the defiler.

"Then it's good thing you called me when you did" said Havdori.

"Look at this" said one of two mercenaries who pulled out the unconscious Fett from the shuttle remains "Best bounty hunter in the galaxy indeed!"

"Are there any other survivors?" asked Havdori.

"Over here" replied the defiler. He brought Havdori over to the unconscious Luke, Ahsoka, and K'Kruhk who were laid out in front of the shuttle.

"Chain them up and bring them back to base" said Havdori "If they come to, have them stunned immediately" Several meters away, Uchji, C-3PO, and R2-D2 hid behind a large tree.

"I feel bad about leav—" said C-3PO shortly before Uchji placed her hand over his mouth and gave him a "shush" sign. Havdori turned his head in their direction.

"I can…I can feel a massive pulse in the Force" said Havdori. Uchji started breathing heavily and looked down at the box in her hands. She slowly raised it and examined it for a moment before lifting it slowly and looking inside. However, it was empty.

"No…" said Uchji quietly. She peered out at Havdori.

"It's coming from the shuttle" said Havdori. He walked over to the shuttle and force-lifted various debris out of the way until he saw what lay beneath. "I don't believe it!" Lying at his feet, undamaged by the crash, was Darth Nihilus's mask. He picked it up and looked at it with astonishment. "Magnificent!"

"Sir, why are we to take the Jedi back to base?" asked the defiler "Are we going to kill them there?"

"We're not going to kill them" replied Havdori "Not yet at least. I want them alive so they can witness the beginning of a new golden age of the dark side!" Nihilus's Sith speech rung subtlety from the mask as a small red light flickered within the eyeholes.

 **Author's note** : Well, we're finally nearing the end of this season; one more chapter to go. The suspense is quite a lot.

 **Hellman76** : Sorry; but while you're idea is good, I'm afraid it will be a little too much to the story I've planned out so far. My apologies, but I don't think I can fit it in.

 **Just a Crazy-Man** : Glad you enjoyed last chapter.

 **CT7567Rules** : Well, I hope this chapter answers your question.

 **Martin** : Yeah; I figured it was a nice way to progress the two of them together, seeing as how Ahsoka was already calling Luke "Skyguy".


	22. The Lord of Hunger

**Author's note** : Well; here it is, the finale for this season. I hope you all enjoy it.

 **The Lord of Hunger**

 _The balance of the Force is at risk like never before! After discovering that the source of the darkness was the spirit of the ancient Sith Lord Darth Nihilus and retrieving from Boba Fett, Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, K'Kruhk, and the mysterious Uchji Nuluco are brought back to Ithor by Nihilus's mask and have been shot down by the mysterious army that has terrorizing the planet!_

 _Little do they know that the mysterious army is the Zann Consortium, a crime syndicate created by crimelord Tyber Zann; a former Imperial cadet who lusts to rule the underworld at all costs! After General Madine finally got his men onto the planet's surface, Zann destroyed half their forces and sent the run with the help of Havdori Airotsih; the Dark Jedi who posed and Mon Mothma's aide and attempted to control the Rebellion! After convincing Zann's men to turn on him and sending both him and his bodyguard Urai Fen on the run, Havdori discovered the crash, took Luke, Ahsoka, K'Kruhk, and Fett as prisoners, and found the mask of Nihilus! Now Uchji, C-3PO, and R2-D2 are the only ones who escaped capture; but will they be able to stop the dark forces that loom over the galaxy or will everything be thrown into complete chaos…_

 _Ithor_

Uchji stood on a tree log with C-3PO standing next to her.

"I can't believe it…" said Uchji "I just…I failed…we all failed because of me; if I hadn't taken a look at that mask, none of this would've happen"

"Um, Ms. Uchji; I'm not really the comforting type, but I have made countless mistakes throughout my lifetime that have cost us dearly" said C-3PO "To make one isn't something to be ashamed of"

"Did they ever cost the entire galaxy and all its life?" asked Uchji.

"Well…no, actually" replied C-3PO "Why did you look at that mask anyway if you knew how dangerous it was?"

"I guess…I guess I just wanted to know more about the monster that had been haunting me my whole life" replied Uchji "I knew it was dangerous, but I just had to know more; and it cost us everyone. I've destroyed everything"

"I can't just stand here and watch you fall into despair like this" said C-3PO "R2" There was no reply. "R2?" He looked around and saw no sign of R2. "Oh; he's gone off again! Never mind. Anyways; as I said before, I'm not really the comforting type, but I will say this: something only becomes fact if you let it"

"You're right" said Uchji "Nihilus hasn't come back yet; and if I stand by and let that happen, then the galaxy is doomed. We have to find where they took that mask. DO you know where they went?"

"Really?" said C-3PO "Well; the thing is, I don't know where they went" At that moment, a vornskr leapt forward and barked causing C-3PO to step back in fright. "Oh my; what on Corellia?"

"Hello little girl" said a voice.

"Who's that?!" exclaimed C-3PO. Tyber and Urai stepped forward out of the shadows.

"Have you lost something?" smirked Tyber.

 _Meanwhile_

K'Kruhk slowly awakened and found himself being pulled through the hallway by two mercenaries. He looked around and saw that Luke and Ahsoka were being dragged beside him. Using as much strength as he had left, he struggled in an attempt to free himself.

"Look, he's coming to!" said one of the mercenaries. The other mercenary pulled out his blaster and shot a stun blast at K'Kruhk's face.

"Best if he stays out" said the second mercenary "Do you know what he is? He's a Whiphid, these things can snap your arm off; I even heard that the Empire employs some as bodyguards" They brought them into a large room where Havdori awaited them.

"Place them in the containment field and leave us" said Havdori "I'll handle it from here" The mercenaries placed Luke, Ahsoka, and K'Kruhk in the containment fields and left.

"Sar…Havdori!" said Ahsoka "I knew I felt your presence"

"An impressive feat, for a failed padawan" said Havdori.

"Why don't you let us out of here and we'll show you who's failed" said Luke as he regained consciousness "I'm sure we'd be more than a match against you with only one hand"

"Charming" said Havdori "I lost this only recently, it's fortunate however that I'm ambidextrous. But I doubt you'll last long without your lightsaber" He lifted the three lightsabers up and placed them on his belt.

"I once said that we should have placed you under investigation the moment you became Chief-of-State…" said K'Kruhk as he regained consciousness "I was wrong; we should have placed you under investigation the moment you appeared as Mon Mothma's aide"

"I wouldn't dwell on false realities" said Havdori "Besides; if every Jedi was as paranoid as you, nothing would get done"

"I see you made some new friends" said Luke.

"If I knew the full extent of the criminal empire Cadfurew was supplying, I would have taken it over instead of the Alliance" said Havdori.

"Why take control of the Rebel Alliance in the first place?" asked K'Kruhk.

"As you may know, I am a collector" replied Havdori "Particularly of dark side artefacts of great properties"

"I could see that, especially from your holocron collection" said K'Kruhk.

"As much as I admire holocrons, they are merely the tip of a very big iceberg" said Havdori "I've searched for individual artefacts of great dark side power; and with the Empire in control of the galaxy, that task became very, very treacherous. Instead I chose to take control of a major faction in this conflict, using it as a font for my own personal agendas; covering my tracks and using every available opportunity to lower suspicion. Did you think it was a mere coincidence that the Empire attacked Captain Ghethib's ship the very moment he was carrying something of great significance?"

"You set that up?" said Luke.

"You catch on real fast" said Havdori "I set it up so Krenin would steal the Separatist item and then I would devise the plan to reclaim, using the weak-minded Mon Calamari to make it look like I was heroically preparing it from the start. It was a full proof plan; unfortunately, you had to ruin everything with the execution. And that was just one of many events that I was planning for; using the Force to foresee the future and manipulating events behind the scenes, I made sure that I was a much, much more competent Chief-of-State than Mon Mothma ever was; but to take away any possible suspicion, I needed to find a scapegoat"

"Fey'lya" said Ahsoka.

"I had heard word among the other councilors that Fey'lya wasn't the most trusted politician; and after hearing what Princess Leia said about him on Muunilinst, I was more than certain that he would fit the bill" said Havdori "All I needed was the right confirmation of such actions that would put him under suspicion, and you provided it better than anyone could. Thank you, Ahsoka; you helped my rise to power"

"You won't get away with this!" said Ahsoka.

"I already have" said Havdori "Because you have now given me the one artefact I've wanted the most" He lifted up Nihilus's mask with his remaining hand.

"How did you get that?" asked K'Kruhk.

"I found it within the remains of the shuttle crash" replied Havdori "I've been searching for this my whole; I even ventured to Korriban once in an attempt to find it, but found nothing. Then you turn up out of nowhere with and now I have it. Do you know what they say about the mask? They say that if a non-Force-sensitive were to wear it, they would be able to wield the Force; but if a Force-user were to wear, their power would increase tenfold" He looked down at the mask and heard Nihilus's Sith speech. "I feel quite tempted to put it on now"

"Havdori, don't do it!" said K'Kruhk "You have no idea on what you're dealing with here!"

"You're fearful about it, not surprising" said Havdori. R2 pulled up and hid behind the doorway quietly.

"Nihilus's spirit lives on in the mask" said K'Kruhk "Although he has no physical form, he can still manipulate the world around him; we've seen it firsthand. He was able to control the spirits of dead Sith back on Korriban and he brought us here when we were on a course for Corellia"

"The dead are the dead, Jedi" said Havdori "Surely you of all should know that individuals do not keep their identity within the Force after they pass. Perhaps it's merely a power trick or an effect from Korriban. I guess we'll find out soon enough" He lifted the mask up higher.

"Heed my warning, Havdori; if you put that mask on, you'll doom both yourself and the galaxy" said K'Kruhk "Please; for the sake of everything that ever was and ever will be, don't put that mask—" Suddenly, Havdori put the mask on his face. "What have you done!?"

"I have become more powerful then you will ever know" said Havdori. He laughed evilly as his arm regrew to its full self, looking even more powerful than before. "I can feel it! The raw power is flowing through me! I have the power to destroy all those who stand in my—" Suddenly, he held onto his chest tightly. "My…My heart! No!" The skin around his face began to turn black and he began thrashing around uncontrollably with a terrible bone crunching sound.

"What's happening?" asked Luke.

"It looks like Nihilus's spirit is taking over his body" replied K'Kruhk "He's even more powerful I originally thought" At that moment, R2 entered the room beeping.

"R2, get us down from here" said Luke. R2 beeped and deactivated the containment fields. As Havdori thrashed around, he accidently dropped their lightsabers. Luke stepped forward to grab them.

"No" said K'Kruhk whilst stopping Luke "Use the Force" The three of them summoned their lightsabers to their hands and ignited them. Havdori raised his hand in front of him and watched in horror as his vein turned black.

"S-So cold!" wheezed Havdori. A strange black cloth-like material started wrapping itself around him and covering him until all that was visible left was the mask. As he bent down onto his knees, his movement stopped briefly.

"Steady" said K'Kruhk. A chilling spine-cracking sound was heard as Havdori slowly straightened himself up. But when he turned around to face them, what stood before them was not them was not Havdori Airotsih but was none other than Darth Nihilus; fully formed complete with his Sith speech.

 _Meanwhile_

Uchji, C-3PO, Tyber, and Urai stepped out of the jungle and stood in front of the Consortium palace.

"There she is" said Tyber "Time for some reclamation" At that moment, Uchji held her head in pain. "What's she doing now?"

"She's feeling something the Force" said Urai.

"Oh dear!" said C-3PO "Ms. Uchji, are you alright?"

"He's back!" exclaimed Uchji "Darth Nihilus is back"

"Well, I suppose that makes things a little more difficult" said Tyber.

 _Meanwhile_

"Darth Nihilus has returned!" said K'Kruhk.

"Not for long!" said Ahsoka. She and Luke rushed towards Nihilus with their lightsabers raised.

"No, stay away from him!" exclaimed K'Kruhk. Nihilus raised his hand and force-choked both of them before throwing them to the side and walked over towards K'Kruhk. "Don't come any further, Nihilus. You may have endured through what many would disappear into; but as long as I live, I'll make certain that you don't get any further" Nihilus said something in Sith before force-choking K'Kruhk and slamming him into the wall. He then let out a powerful orange wave of Force drain. Luke got himself up and struck at Nihilus, who merely swept aside like a leaf to evade the strike before igniting Havdori's lightsaber and begin clashing with Luke. Ahsoka got herself up to see the almost unconscious K'Kruhk lying on the floor. She rushed over to him and helped him up.

"Luke, we have to get out of here now!" said Ahsoka. Luke kicked himself past Nihilus but the Sith Lord quickly force-gripped him by the foot and pulled him towards him. Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber and leapt forward only to get force-choked.

"No…" wheezed K'Kruhk as he looked up in pain. At that moment, the defiler entered.

"What's going on in—" said the defiler before noticing Nihilus. He pulled out his blaster and began shooting at Nihilus, distracting him enough to drop Luke and Ahsoka but drawing his attention in the process. Nihilus then force-pulled him towards him without hesitation. "What the! AHHH!" Luke and Ahsoka got themselves up, ran over to K'Kruhk, and pulled him out of the room with R2 following them. When Nihilus drew the defiler up to him, he placed his hands on his mask and force-drained him. "AHHHH!" When Nihilus was done, the defiler dropped to the ground dead. His mask was knocked off, revealing a shriveled up grey and wrinkly face with only strands of white hair left. Nihilus then raised his head and walked slowly out of the room.

 _Meanwhile_

"Man, he weighs heavier than he looks" said one of two mercenaries who dragged Boba Fett down the hallway.

"It's probably the Mandalorian armor" said the other mercenary "It's much, much more durable then what the Empire makes stormtroopers wear. Believe me, I know" They brought Fett over to the cells.

"Here we go, big fella'" said the first mercenary "A fresh cell for—"

"No thank you" said Fett. He grabbed both their heads and knocked them together, rendering them unconscious. He looked down at the two mercenaries and walked off.

 _Meanwhile_

Luke and Ahsoka brought K'Kruhk outside the palace and laid him on the ground.

"Master K'Kruhk, are you alright?" asked Ahsoka. K'Kruhk lifted his head up wearily.

"It feels…like I've been siphoned of my strength" replied K'Kruhk "We have to stop Nihilus before he—" He was about to pull himself back up when he collapsed down again.

"Take it easy" said Luke.

"It's like I've been weakened" said K'Kruhk "His Force drain was more powerful than any other; I'm sure I was going to die if you hadn't intervened"

"With something that bad, I'm surprised you haven't gone into your Whiphid healing trance yet" said Luke.

"It feels like I should, but it's just not happening" said K'Kruhk "Perhaps the aftereffects of the drain are blocking it off somehow"

"You're in no condition to keep fighting" said Ahsoka "Let's just get to a secured location and figured out what to do from there" The two of them lifted K'Kruhk up by the arms and dragged him off into the jungle.

"So how are we going to beat him now that he's regained physical form?" asked Luke.

"When…When we saw Nihilus last, he was relying on Havdori's life force to keep him alive, which made him sluggish then he would be at full strength" replied K'Kruhk "His first act will be to devour as much life force as he can to survive longer and then he'll move onto the next location. His sole mission is to feed and keep his life going so he can feed again; he's attracted to all life as a form of sustenance, especially Force-users"

"The Ithorian villages; with us out of sight, he'll probably turn to them" said Ahsoka.

"Precisely" said K'Kruhk.

"Can we fight him?" asked Ahsoka.

"You can, but just being around him will make you weaker" replied Uchji as she walked up to them with C-3PO. R2 rolled up to C-3PO and beeped.

"It's good to see you in one piece, R2" said C-3PO "Though you really stop going off like that; you almost send me into a panic attack"

"Uchji, what are you doing here?" asked Ahsoka "Why weren't you captured with the rest of us?"

"The moment we crashed, I feared that they would find the mask; so I grabbed the box in hopes of keeping it far away from them" said Uchji "But only once they started investigating the shuttle did I find out that the box was empty. They found it and they took it"

"I know" said Ahsoka "We found out the hard way; Nihilus has come back"

"I felt it" said Uchji "It's like my nightmares, only much, much worse"

"Then let's get rid of it, once and for all" said Ahsoka "We have to destroy Nihilus before he gets too powerful"

"How can we do that if we can't get close to him?" asked Luke "If we get too close, he'll suck us dry"

"Let me down" said K'Kruhk. Luke and Ahsoka carefully let him down onto a log. "If the mysterious army is still present, then General Madine and his men should still be in the system. We have to inform him of what happened so he can hold Nihilus off. With Nihilus distracted from Civilian targets, we can focus on making a plan to stop him once and for all"

"A diversion, interesting strategy" said a voice. Tyber and Urai stepped out of the shadows.

"Urai Fen!" said K'Kruhk he grabbed his lightsaber and was about to stand up but ended up collapsing.

"It's a dishonor to meet you again too, Jedi" said Urai. Luke and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers.

"Who are you?" asked Luke as he pointed his lightsaber at Tyber.

"Allow me to introduce myself" said Tyber "I am Tyber Zann; and I believe we both have stories to exchange"

 _Meanwhile_

As constant screams of pain came from the Consortium palace, Fett ran out of the building and over to a StarViper that sat outside.

"Finally" said Fett. He climbed into the StarViper and started it up just as the dead body of a mercenary flew out of a window. As Fett turned his head around to see what was happening, Nihilus stepped up to the window and slowly looked over at him with an emotionless yet hungry stare; the two of them almost staring at each other. He then turned himself in the direction of the Ithorian village nearby, stepped out of the window, and floated down towards the ground gracefully. As he set foot on the ground, the grass around him wilted and died. He started walking slowly and menacingly towards the village. "So that's what it does" He lifted the StarViper up and flew away.

 _Meanwhile_

Madine looked off into the sunset on the horizon and sighed.

"We've lost over half our forces" said Madine.

"But at least we're still alive" said Tani.

"There's no doubt about that; but with our forces, we'll have to call for reinforcements" said Madine "And with the battle shaping up to be prolonged, I'm worried that the Ithorian Elders might become upset with us. But first I'll have to inform the Alliance High Command of Havdori" He was about to move over to the hologram projector when his comlink crackled into life.

"General Madine, this is K'Kruhk" said K'Kruhk out of his comlink "Do you copy?"

"I'm here" replied Madine into his comlink "What is it?"

"Are you still on Ithor?" asked K'Kruhk.

"Yes, we are" replied Madine "The Ithorian Elders allowed our ground forces to land and we engaged the enemy; but they took us by surprise and depleted a large amount of our forces, and you won't believe what we found out about them"

"Whatever it is, it will have to wait" said K'Kruhk "We have bigger things to deal with right now. How far are you from the Enemy's base, they should be close to the largest Ithorian village"

"Not far" replied Madine "We're on a mountain overlooking them both"

"There's something very dangerous heading towards the village right now" said K'Kruhk "If you look hard enough, you might actually see it" Madine gestured to a group of rebel troopers who ran to the ledge and got out a pair of electrobinoculars to examine.

"What exactly are we looking for?" asked Madine.

"What you're looking for is covered in black robes and wears a white mask with red markings" replied K'Kruhk "But there's more—"

"General, we've found something" said a rebel trooper.

"Let me see" said Madine whilst walking over to him. The rebel trooper handed him his electrobinoculars and he looked through them, seeing Nihilus slowly walk over to the village. "Damn it! K'Kruhk, I think I see it; what is that thing?"

"That's Darth Nihilus, an ancient Sith Lord who feeds upon life force" replied K'Kruhk "I need you to keep him distracted to keep him from killing the villages"

"I'll call for reinforcements and get down there immediately" said Madine "We're not letting him kill civilians"

"Remember to keep your distance" said K'Kruhk "If you get too close to him, he'll drain the life out of you; and if he gets too strong, we might never be able to beat him"

"Understood" said Madine "But even with reinforcements, I'm not sure how long we'll be able to hold him off for"

"Make it long enough" said K'Kruhk "We'll do what we can to stop him"

"Got it" said Madine "And we'll try to evacuate the village as well"

 _Meanwhile_

A young Ithorian boy and girl chased each other innocently around the village around the older Ithorians who were minding their own business. As they reached the outskirts of the village, the Ithorian boy pushed the Ithorian girl onto the grass and the two began rolling around. Suddenly, a cold and almost dead breeze hit the air and their attention was immediately drawn to a figure off in the distance. Nihilus walked towards the village, leaving behind a trail of dead grass as he went. The two Ithorian children got up and ran off back into the village, rushing past an Ithorian woman and accidently knocking the basket of herbs that she carried. The Ithorian woman grunted and was about to pick the herbs again when she noticed Nihilus walking towards the city. A feeling of dread passing through her, she turned to the village and let out a large warning bellow that echoed across the landscape. The Ithorians in the village all stopped what they were doing and looked up in shock. As Nihilus walked towards the village, he lifted his head up when he heard the incoming sound of X-Wings that flew down towards them and started shooting at him. Madine looked at the dust from the bushes with a pair of electrobinoculars.

"X-Wings?" said Orrimaarko "Wouldn't Y-Wings be more effective"

"The Ithorians don't like bombers" replied Madine "They cause great damage to the surface. Fortunately, they're less hostile about X-Wings"

"Is he dead?" asked Tani.

"With these darksiders, it's never that easy" replied Madine. Suddenly, the smoke and dust of the attack was shot away in a powerful blast by Nihilus who stood undamaged.

"He's still there" said Orrimaarko.

"I knew it was unlikely that the shots would do the job completely, but I had no idea they would be that ineffective" said Madine "Pilots, try to get out of there" The X-Wings were about to fly off when Nihilus force-gripped onto them and held them still. He then shot out a powerful force-drain on them before force-crushing them all at once and throwing them away. "Rats! Rianna, how's the evacuation going"

 _Meanwhile_

Rianna overlooked the village from an LAAT gunship.

"We're about to land" replied Rianna into her comlink "We'll try to get all the Ithorians onboard and get them to safety" The LAAT gunships landed, accompanied by the remaining GR-75 medium transports. A small group of rebel troopers rushed out of the vehicles.

"We'll split into three teams and rally all the Ithorians to this location" said Napiat "We begin it now"

"We're about to gather the Ithorians and evacuate them" said Rianna into her comlink.

 _Meanwhile_

"Good" said Madine into his comlink "Do your job and we'll do ours. Let's go!" The remaining rebel ground vehicles with some rebel troopers emerged from the jungle and began shooting at Nihilus all at once. "Steady, steady!" The shooting slowly stopped. Nihilus turned his head around and started walking towards them. "He's coming! Shoot more!" The vehicles and the rebel troopers began shooting again to little effect. As Nihilus walked towards them, he ignited his lightsaber and unleashed a mixture of force lightning and force drain.

 _Meanwhile_

"Oh my, it looks quite terrible down there" said C-3PO. R2 beeped. "Don't belittle me, R2; you know more than anyone that I've been in plenty of battles in my time" R2 beeped again. "Granted, I will admit I wasn't involved in them all that much—"

"Do me a favor and shut those droids up" said Tyber as he climbed into a plasma tank "The weapon can become unstable and destroy everything around it; but it's sheer power should be enough to keep that thing down there distracted"

"Why do you have to pilot it?" asked Luke "Surely we can"

"Be-cause I'm the only one here who knows how" said Tyber "Unless of course you wish to learn how to; but given the current situation, I don't think we have the time"

"I still don't know why we should trust you" said K'Kruhk "We've only just met and you seem pretty keen to assist us despite supposedly being our enemy. From what I got from your story, you seem to be quite responsible for all of this; not to mention you're syndicate was responsible for terrorizing the Ithorians"

"Only the ones who got too close to breaking our secrecy" said Tyber "And I'll correct you; we're not enemies. My quarrel is with the Empire and the Hutts, surely you would know that since I told you it quite clearly; not the Alliance, you just got in the way"

"Why are you even helping us?" asked Ahsoka.

"Firstly; from what I gathered from our stories, it seems that we both have a row with Havdori" replied Tyber "He infiltrated your Alliance and attempted to use it for his dark agendas. And he turned my mercenaries against me; he's as good as dead, even if he's not him anymore. And secondly; once he's gone and out of the picture. You grant me amnesty and allow me to leave the planet without consequences and in return I will never come back here"

"Amnesty, after what you've done?" said K'Kruhk.

"Believe me; what I've done is nothing compared to what I can do" said Tyber "Besides; if this Darth Nihilus is as dangerous as you say, are you really going to turn down help? It's a reasonable offer; and if you hold any conscious, you'll accept while you still can. Once this is over, we'll both walk away having accomplished something" K'Kruhk sighed.

"Unless something changes, we'll go along with it for now" said K'Kruhk "But I warn you; if do anything to harm either the Ithorians or the Alliance, there will no amnesty"

"A fair deal" said Tyber "Urai, let's get started" As he got into the plasma tank, Urai leapt on top of it and they drove off. "Don't you love it when you can come to a peaceful resolution, Urai?"

"You should have let me kill him in the first place" said Urai.

"No time to dwell on that now" said Tyber "Here we go" They drove down towards the battle where Nihilus was finishing off the remaining rebel forces.

"Fight harder!" said Madine "Harder!" Nihilus briefly turned towards him and he readied his blaster only for the Sith to turn and walk back towards the village.

"What's he doing now?" asked Tani.

"No, no, no!" said Madine "He's turning back to the village. Rianna, what's the status with the evacuation"

"We have a problem" said Rianna out of his comlink

 _Meanwhile_

"I'm afraid we don't have enough transports" said Rianna into her comlink. She looked out at the masses of Ithorians surrounding her. "How long will those reinforcements take?"

"They should be here in about half an hour" replied Madine out of her comlink "But we have trouble; Nihilus has destroyed most of our forces and has turned his sights back to the village. I'm not sure if we can hold him any longer" Rianna briefly looked off in the distance as Carlp carried several Ithorian babies towards the transports.

"Now that's not good" said Rianna. She looked off at the jungle at the back of the village. "I'll send who I can off to the herd cities and get the others into the forest so they're further away. In the meantime, try to keep him at bay as long as you can"

"We'll do what we can, but I'm not sure if we can promise anything" said Madine.

 _Meanwhile_

"Alright, let's go again" said Madine.

"General, we've lost most of our forces now" said Orrimaarko "If we go again, we're probably all going to get killed" Madine looked off at Nihilus in the distance and then looked up at the transports flying up into the sky.

"You're right, I can't guarantee we're all going to come back from this one" said Madine "But I am going. Anyone who's with me, stay here and follow my lead. Anyone who just can't handle it, leave now and go to the village to help with the evacuations" No one left. "Are you all with me?"

"We'll follow you to the last breath, general" said Tani "I'm with you"

"BX, what about you?" asked Madine.

"Roger, roger" replied BX.

"I'll take that as a yes" said Madine "Orrimaarko?" Orrimaarko sighed.

"I suppose I always knew that I wasn't going to step out of this war when it was over" said Orrimaarko.

"Anyone else?" asked Madine. The rebel troopers gathered up into an orderly fashion with their blasters at the ready. "Okay then, let's do this" They charged out of the bushes, firing wildly at Nihilus. "Over hear you big ugly thing!" Tani grabbed several thermal detonators and threw them at Nihilus, who turned around to face them after the explosions had. "It's working; now remember, keep your distance" Nihilus said something in Sith before letting out a powerful blast of Force lightning and blasting them back. Madine got himself up and started firing on Nihilus, who deflected the shots with his lightsaber and began force-choking him and pulling him towards him.

"I guess this is where we come in" said Tyber. He shot a powerful plasma blast at Nihilus, causing him to accidently drop Madine and turn around towards them. He then started walking over to the tank.

"He's coming" said Urai.

"I know" replied Tyber.

"Well, don't let him get too close" said Urai.

"Working on that" said Tyber "If you're still in there, Havdori; this is for turning my men against me" He shot out another plasma blast directly at Nihilus. However, Nihilus pulled up his lightsaber and split the plasma blast in two and sent them off to his sides, impacting into the hills. "By Anaxes!"

 _Meanwhile_

"Even with that plasma tank, I don't think it will be enough" said Luke "If the vehicles haven't destroyed Nihilus by now, I don't think they're going to anytime soon. We have to go down there to help"

"We have to form a strategy first; otherwise we're only just giving him more strength" said K'Kruhk.

"Nihilus sought out the Jedi due to their connection with the Force making the life-force he absorbed greater" said Uchji "If he kills you, you'll just be feeding him"

"But we can't leave them down there like this" said Luke.

"And we're not doing that" said K'Kruhk "But sometimes rushing into things blindly does not solve problems but instead makes them worse" As Luke and K'Kruhk talked more. Ahsoka zoned out when she heard a voice.

"Ahsoka…" said a voice. Ahsoka turned to see the Daughter standing before her. "You know what must be done" She extended her hand out. "Come"

"But…But what about the side effects" asked Ahsoka "I could lose myself forever"

"If there was a way around this, I would use it; but there isn't" replied the Daughter "When entrapped within his mask, Nihilus could have been stopped without a conflict; but with his body restored, Nihilus has the potential to have unlimited strength and power. It's either we both risk our own identities with this or the whole galaxy will die. I understand that this isn't easy, but you of all need to understand that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Please" Ahsoka looked back at Luke and sighed.

"I understand everything" said Ahsoka. She slowly (and somewhat reluctantly) started moving over to the Daughter.

"Ms. Ahsoka, what are you doing?" asked C-3PO. This caught the attention of Luke.

"Ahsoka?" said Luke. It wasn't long until he realized what was happening. "Oh no!" He rushed over to her. "Ahsoka, wait!"

"I don't have any other choice, Luke" said Ahsoka "Even if we do manage to beat Nihilus, it'll be at great cost. Daughter has the power to beat him; because as powerful as he is, I doubt he's a match for a Force wielder"

"Force wielder, huh?" said K'Kruhk "I assume that's what you two have been hiding"

"No cost?" said Luke "What about yourself? You told me that the longer you two stayed bonded; the more you'd lose yourself. Are you really going to give everything up?"

"I don't like it either, but I'm the only one who can do this" said Ahsoka. She tilted his forehead into hers. "Please, let me do this" She walked back over to the Daughter and placed her palm on top of hers.

"It's alright, Skywalker" said K'Kruhk "Just stay calm" Light shone from both Ahsoka and the Daughter's eyes and the Daughter passed into Ahsoka again. This time however, Ahsoka began shining a bright white light and lifted off into the air. When she came back down, her appearance had changed; her skin was now a bright shining white similar to the Daughter's, the blue bands of her head-tails was no teal like the Daughter's hair, and her outfit now resembled the Daughter's outfit.

"It is done" said Ahsoka, her voice now a meld of her own and the Daughter "Leave Nihilus to me" She turned and shot off into the air.

"Explain to me, what just happened?" asked C-3PO.

 _Meanwhile_

Nihilus began force-pulling the plasma tank over towards him.

"He's pulling us in!" said Urai.

"Oh yeah?" said Tyber "Then it's time to give him hell. Let's see if he can split point blank range" He charged up another plasma blast, only for Nihilus to crush the barrel. "Oh no! Urai, get me out of here before this blows!"

"On it" said Urai. He pulled Tyber out of the tank and ran a great distance away before Nihilus force-lifted the tank and crushed it, causing it to explode.

"Good thing you got us out of its range" said Tyber. Nihilus turned back towards them and started walking over.

"He's coming again!" said Urai as he prepared his blades. Tyber pulled out his blaster and prepared to shoot when suddenly a powerful light flew down and struck Nihilus to the ground. As the light cleared, Ahsoka stood herself up and force-pushed Nihilus away.

"What the heck is that?" asked Tyber.

"Forces beyond our power" replied Urai "C'mon, we have to get out of the way" They backed off up a hill.

"Darth Nihilus, your arrival is both unwelcome and precocious" said Ahsoka "Your time in this world has ended; end this now!"

"What is that?" asked Tani.

"Something strange" said Madine "Wait; is that Commander Tano?" Nihilus stretched up and an unsettling, whispery yet intense voice crept into Ahsoka's head amidst Nihilus's Sith speech.

" _You have no idea on what you face!"_

Nihilus shot powerful force-lightning at Ahsoka which Ahsoka deflected with her hand before shooting back at him with force-lightning of her own. Nihilus reignited his lightsaber and swept towards her. Ahsoka dodged his strike at her and grabbed ahold of a pair of lightsabers that materialized beside her, igniting the blue katana-like blades and clashing with him. She force-pushed him back and he used his lightsaber to slow down. Ahsoka sprinted over to Nihilus and was about to strike with both lightsabers when Nihilus blocked her strike.

" _You think you can defeat me?_

 _I am the Lord of Hunger_

 _Worlds have been reduced to ash before me_

 _Entire civilizations have fallen before me_

 _It is because of me that the Jedi Order almost fell_

 _Even my slayer, the Jedi Exile, could not truly destroy me"_

Nihilus grabbed onto her wrist and steam began to form from it

" _Every action you take gives me strength!"_

Nihilus pulled her up into the air and threw her across the landscape. She got herself up and charged at him again.

 _Meanwhile_

Uchji force-healed K'Kruhk who lay on his back at the roots of a tree.

"I think we're almost done" said Uchji "So you Jedi know of the Force wielders; how?"

"I first heard of them when the Jedi received Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's report on his visit to Mortis" replied K'Kruhk "We had heard of them before through Nightsister lore and other legends but we thought they were merely a myth. Master Kenobi kept a lot of the things basic; but since Padawan Tano accompanied him there, I have a feeling this may have something to do with it"

"Force wielders are identified as being basically gods" said Uchji "Surely it's enough to beat Nihilus?"

"You would think so" replied K'Kruhk "But nothing is truly impervious; and I cannot shake the feeling that having a powerful Force-user fight Nihilus might be merely handing him more power" At that moment, there were powerful flashes of red and blue lights.

"That doesn't look good" said C-3PO.

"You have no idea" said K'Kruhk "Skywalker, I think the time has come to form a plan of attack" There was no reply. "Skywalker?" They all looked around to see no sign of Luke.

"Where is Master Luke?" asked C-3PO.

"Oh no!" said K'Kruhk "He's gone after her, he's going to get himself killed" R2 beeped.

"Well, of course we have to back for him; he's our master after all" said C-3PO "But if we keep rushing into things we'll get nowhere, especially if this "Darth Nihilus" character is as dangerous as he's supposed to be" K'Kruhk scratched his chin.

"I think I may have an idea" said K'Kruhk "I recall reading the tale of Darth Nihilus within the Jedi Archive once and I remember that the Exile was able to defeat Nihilus thanks to Visas Marr's bond with him. She was able to disrupt their link and weaken him"

"What are you implying?" asked Uchji.

"If the bond has passed on to you, then perhaps you could do the same thing" replied K'Kruhk.

"Maybe, if I could get close enough" said Uchji "But it's better than nothing and I have to find some way to make up for what I did. Yes, I'm willing to try…no, I'm willing to do it"

 _Meanwhile_

Ahsoka and Nihilus dueled furiously across the plains, constantly shooting force-lightning and force-throwing rocks and debris at each other but deflected them back at each other.

"Give up, Nihilus" said Ahsoka "You may have gotten this far, but not any longer"

" _You have no idea on what has really been happening, do you?_

 _Do you think it was a coincidence that I came to power at this particular time or that I brought you to Ithor of all places?_

 _I had been gaining power for a long time; but even though I could interact with the physical world, my range was limited and I could not get off of Korriban to find a body for myself._

 _So I made my presence known, using my power to attract attention of any Force-users who may sense it._

 _When you came to Korriban, I put a fight merely to convince you otherwise; but once I was contained, I only needed to find a Force-user that would be foolish and power hungry enough and that I could reach to put my mask on and give me power once more._

 _Using my power to prey on the Miraluka, I was able to turn the ship to Ithor and lure Havdori into my trap._

 _Now I am back and nothing can stop me this time; the beings of this universe have grown too weak in my absence"_

As Ahsoka raised her lightsabers to strike at him again, her image began to blur and she held onto her heart in pain before almost collapsing onto the ground.

" _You are growing unstable._

 _You cannot remain two separate entities whilst bonded together for long._

 _The transition is coming and when it does, you will be mine"_

"For millennia my family and I battled evil greater than you" said Ahsoka as she started clashing with him again.

" _Nothing is greater than me!_

 _I am the most powerful being in the galaxy!_

 _I am the darkness in which all life dies!_

 _All life exists to feed my power!_

 _And now you have brought the ultimate power right into my hands!"_

He began force-choking her and lifted her up into the air in front of him.

" _I have long since dreamt of feeding on the power of a Force wielder ever since I heard the legend._

 _Now that I have been handed it entrapped within a mortal body, I cannot refuse it_

 _With your power, I will be unstoppable and I will take my place as the center of the universe!"_

Suddenly, a blue blade burst through his chest.

"You're not getting that power any time soon, Nihilus!" said Luke. Nihilus turned his head around and force-pushed Luke and his lightsaber away. Nihilus then force-gripped Luke, lifted him up the air, and slammed him back down. As Luke attempted to get himself back up, Nihilus force-gripped his wrists and pulled him back down.

"Luke!" exclaimed Ahsoka. As she rushed towards him, Nihilus turned and shot her with force-lightning.

" _I am not finished with you yet; however, this Human seems compelled to help you_

 _And for that, I will take him first"_

He slowly extended his hand out towards Luke.

"No!" exclaimed Ahsoka. Suddenly, she lit up bright white, shot the force-lightning straight off herself, and lunged towards Nihilus and began clashing with him again.

" _The more strength you have, the more strength I will have._

 _The more you prolong this, the greater the loss._

 _I've waited thousands of years for this and it is coming, slowly but surely"_

Suddenly, Nihilus held his head in pain and backed off clumsily. Uchji walked up to them, holding her head in a trance.

"No; this is not to be!" said Uchji "You have haunted me my whole life, I will not let you do this! I will conquer you! I will…conquer you…" Uchji fell unconscious and Nihilus fell to his hands. Luke and Ahsoka walked over to Nihilus only to be shot back with force-lightning.

" _Stay back!_

 _I'm not finished yet!_

 _I should have killed that Miraluka the moment I found her on Katarr_

 _But even with my strength weakened, I still have enough to take yours!"_

He was about to lunge for Ahsoka again when a large slab of debris hit him and knocked him over.

"You're not getting away that easily" said K'Kruhk. Nihilus got himself back up and lunged towards the Whiphid Jedi when Ahsoka suddenly flashed in his way.

"Stop!" said Ahsoka. Within a split second, she pressed her finger on his forehead and he fell to his knees. "This ends now" She placed her hands onto Nihilus mask and slowly peeled it off. Waves of red mist mixed with red energy erupted from the Sith Lord and sent shockwaves across the landscape. After the smoke had cleared, Ahsoka walked out holding Nihilus's mask in her hands. Lying behind her was the unconscious body of Havdori. "It is done" Suddenly, she collapsed onto the ground, Nihilus mask rolled out of her hands. Luke ran up to her and lifted her up.

"Ahsoka?" asked Luke.

"Make sure that doesn't get away again" said K'Kruhk. Uchji ran up to the mask and picked it up.

"Ahsoka, are you there?" asked Luke. Suddenly, a powerful light burst out through Ahsoka's eyes, returning her to her normal self. Luke could hear the voice of the Daughter coming from the light.

" _This battle is won"_

"Is she alright?" asked Luke.

" _I severed our bond before we could permanently become attached._

 _However, it seems we cannot become one again._

 _I have left behind enough life-force for her to live._

 _While it may be small at first, it will soon grow and replenish her; staying with her for the rest of her life._

 _But for now, enjoy this victory while it lasts"_

"What will happen to you now?" asked Luke.

" _I now leave you, to find what place the universe has for me now that I no longer bare a physical form._

 _And one last thing, young Skywalker; I trust Ahsoka has told you of Mortis and my brother and father?"_

"In quite a lot of detail" replied Luke.

" _I will give you this one last warning; we were not the last of our kind._

 _Beware the Mother…"_

The light shot up into the atmosphere and disappeared into the night skies. K'Kruhk walked up to Uchji and looked down at the mask in her hands. Ahsoka coughed and regained consciousness.

"It's…It's over…finally it's over" said Ahsoka.

"Good to have you back" said Luke.

"So what happened to the Daughter?" asked Ahsoka.

"She left" replied Luke "She went off to find a new meaning and left you some of her life-force. But without her, I don't you can go into that more "powerful" form"

"Good, because there's no way I'm going through that again" smirked Ahsoka.

"Is it—" asked K'Kruhk.

"The presence has weakened, but it is still there" replied Uchji "It's the same as before; his returned to his mask before his physical body was destroyed"

"Then we'll just have to make sure he never regains a physical body again" said K'Kruhk. Away from their view, Havdori regained consciousness; his hair now messed up, his skin now pale and bony, his bright red blood-shot, and missing his hand again. He looked over at his lightsaber on the ground, extended his hand out, and attempted to summon it back to him. K'Kruhk noticed this and placed his foot onto it. "Don't even think about it" Havdori gasped and rushed off into the jungle, breathing heavily. "Stop him; we're not letting him get away this time" He, Madine, and the others rushed off to the jungle. As Havdori desperately ran through the jungle, he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder.

"Not so fast" said a voice. Havdori looked up to see Carth'la looking at him. "Did you really think you were going to get off that easily?" With a flash of green mist, they both vanished.

 _Later_

The _Merciless_ lifted off and flew through a field of rebel ships.

"Look at that, Urai; they're following through with their end but are still prepared in case we don't" said Tyber.

"You're admiring them?" asked Urai.

"In a way" replied Tyber "I rather like the Alliance, they're far more reasonable than the Empire; and that makes things easier"

"That aside, we need security to consider" said Urai "If another Dark Jedi like Havdori tries to take, I cannot guarantee that we'll be that fortunate. There are many, many more Dark Jedi, and some of them are involved with the Empire" Tyber stroked his chin.

"I suppose you do have a point" said Tyber "Then I'll just have to have you slit the throat of any that wish to undermine me"

"This is no joke, Tyber" said Urai "If you think Havdori was torment, then you have no idea"

"At least with Havdori out of the way, we can at least focus the rest of our operations again" said Tyber, ignoring Urai "The Rebels can have the galaxy as far as I care, but the underworld is all mine; not only will I rule it, I will corrupt it like no other crimelord before me"

 _Meanwhile_

"Beautiful view" said Ahsoka as she and Luke sat on the hill watching the sunrise.

"Yeah, look down there" said Luke whilst pointing at Madine and Bendon who were talking with the holograms of the Ithorian Elders. "I sure hope Ithor stays with the Alliance"

"The alternative is risk being invaded by the Empire, and we all know that's not a wise choice" said Ahsoka

"So what was it like?" asked Luke "Being…part of her"

"It was strange…and scary" replied Ahsoka "I felt all this power surging through me and yet I had no control over it. I felt all the movements, yet I couldn't do anything about it; and the longer I stayed bonded with her, the more I felt myself fading away"

"Then it's good we got you back" said Luke. Ahsoka briefly looked off onto the horizon before turning back to Luke.

"Luke, there's something I want you to know" said Ahsoka "When I was falling apart, dissolving into the Daughter's essence; there was something that anchored me down, keep me together and made me sort of stronger. Luke, I think it was—"

"I hope you're recovering, both of you" said K'Kruhk as he walked up to them.

"Yeah; being the first Jedi to encounter Darth Nihilus in thousands of years, I guess I feel a little tired out from it" said Luke "So how's the mask? Is it destroyed?"

"No I'm afraid" replied K'Kruhk "We tested it out, but it's indestructible; nothing can destroy it, not even a lightsaber. Besides, perhaps it's better if Nihilus's spirit remains contained"

"Then what are we going to do with it?" asked Ahsoka.

"We have to place it somewhere no one will ever find it" replied K'Kruhk.

"Back on Korriban?" asked Luke.

"No, the dark side energy there will only empower it again" replied K'Kruhk "And if a bounty hunter could get his hands on it, then it is far from secure. Instead Uchji requested to take the mask back to Tython with her; the Lurmen monks will keep secret and safe and make sure it is away from anything else dark side related. It may not be the most secure option, but it will have to do for the time being. And one more thing; I have spoken with Master Kota and Master Sitra, and we have come to the conclusion on a matter we had discussing for a long time"

"And what's that?" asked Luke.

"As you know, young Skywalker; we declined your offer on training you on the grounds that it would be to invite disaster without an official Order, but we cannot see you continue on without continuing your training" replied K'Kruhk "Despite all the hardships the Jedi have endured, we cannot just sit by and see a padawan not complete his training; but we have also noticed that you are not alone. There is another who has lost their master and not finished their training" Ahsoka and Luke stared at each other. "Skywalker, the experience you have gained since joining the Alliance is not exactly conventional Jedi training; but it is impressive. And Tano, most of your training was under the old Order so you have knowledge of how it works. Perhaps right now the best master for you is each other"

"You're going somewhere but I can't exactly put my finger on what exactly" said Ahsoka.

"We are going to organize you two into a reciprocal apprenticeship" replied K'Kruhk "It is a rare form of training in which both participants involved are the master and the apprentice. It has become clear that within your partnership together, a powerful connection has arisen; perhaps it could be used to help improve each other"

"I guess you'll have to get used to calling me "Master Tano"" smirked Ahsoka.

"Not before you get used to calling me "Master Skywalker"" smirked Luke.

"I've known for some time that that sometimes teaching is the best method of learning" said K'Kruhk "May the Force be with you both"

 _Meanwhile on Tython_

Uchji slowly lowered Nihilus's mask into a crate which a pair of Aye-Aye Lurmen monks closed and brought down into a cellar below.

"It's okay, Uchji" said Samfor as he walked up to her "We'll make sure it never sees the light of day again"

"Is it really?" said Uchji "Nihilus is still not gone and I doubt he'll ever be truly gone. It will take time, but he will regain power once more"

"And we'll be ready for him" said Samfor "But right now, it is best to enjoy peace while it lasts. Go on, have some rests"

"Thank you" said Uchji. She walked back upstairs, laid down on her bed, and slowly drifted off to sleep, hoping that the nightmares had stopped.

 _Meanwhile in an unknown location_

Havdori kneeled in a large dark chamber with Carth'la pacing up and down behind him.

"Please!" begged Havdori "I know what this must look like, but I assure you that it was all for you!" Standing before him was a large throne where a black robed figure sat, his only distinguishing features being his black gloves and his black mask with silver Sith tattoos.

"You expect me to believe this, Havdori?" said the masked figure "When I originally brought you in an trained you, you took a great interest in lore and artefacts so I sent you out to retrieve Sith holocrons for me; it appears however that you developed other plans"

"I only did what I did for you, master" begged Havdori "Uncovering the Sith artefacts was to help progress our collection, you can't just have holocrons"

"You know all too well that you were planning to overthrow him" said Carth'la "The Master doesn't look kindly on betrayal"

"Carth'la, I am handling this" said the Master (the masked figure) "I should have kept you on a much shorter leash, Havdori; then perhaps this would never have happened. The holocrons are one thing, but you would have to be mad to mess with the mask of Darth Nihilus; not even an advanced Sith Lord can control its power"

"I urge you to reconsider, master!" begged Havdori "Surely I'm better use to you alive"

"Perhaps once" said the Master "But now that you have become too ambitious for your own good, you are nothing more than a potential threat; and I cannot allow anything to get in the way of my plans" Carth'la force-lifted a large circular trapdoor that lay behind him.

"Master; if you intend to kill me, then do it yourself" begged Havdori "Leaving me between death and a fate worse is no way to execute someone, even a traitor"

"As far as I'm concerned, it's too merciful" said Carth'la. She force-pushed him into the trapdoor where he fell in and disappeared into the darkness below. As he regained consciousness, he briefly looked up at the light coming from the trapdoor before his attention was drawn to a growling coming from the darkness around him. Suddenly, a large rakghoul leapt out from the shadows, grabbed onto his leg, and pulled him back into it screaming. From the darkness, the sounds of his screaming faded as the sounds of growling and chewing increased. Carth'la closed the trapdoor over again. "Hopefully his actions won't be too intrusive, master"

"This setback is only temporary" said the Master "Proceed as planned"

 **Author's note** : Well; I did it, I got through season two. I admit that this season didn't exactly turn out as originally planned, what with the reconstructing of previous stories and the like; but for what it's worth, I hope that long term my series will turn out good. Please, let me know what you thought of this season as I'll really appreciate it. In the meantime, stay tuned for Star Wars: Galactic Civil War season 3…

 **Hellman76** : I'm afraid it might not fit into the story Ive panned out so far, I'm really sorry.

 **CT7567Rules** : It's funny you should mention that because I was already planning on having both Barriss and Lux appear in next season.


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